By
Davidson Odigho,
Police operatives in Delta Command have rescued an abducted 63-year-old woman in Delta.
The woman, whose identity was not disclosed by the police, breathed the air of freedom after five days in captivity.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Oleh Division, SP Paul Oboware, reportedly led his men on the rescue operation on November 30, 2021, after a tip-off from a vigilant member of the public.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bright Edafe, in a statement on Sunday, said the police operatives rescued the victim along Irri-Aviara community road.
He said she was rescued from two boys who were armed with machetes and, who, on sighting the police team, bolted into the woods.
“Investigation later revealed that the victim was kidnapped on the 26/11/2021 at about 1830hrs at Olori road Ughelli on her way home,” he disclosed.
Luck, however, ran out of one of the hoodlums on Friday December 2, 2021 at about 9:43p.m, when police operatives, in collaboration with vigilance members, while acting on another distress call on the activities of some hoodlums on a Toyota Hilux, stormed Irri Roundabout, Oleh.
The tip-off from residents of the area bordered on a disagreement that had ensued among the hoodlums who were allegedly attempting to abduct a recent returnee from Europe.
Members of the vigilance group in the area, in turn, alerted the police operatives at Oleh, leading to the arrest of one of the suspects, Davidson Odigho, aged 26, while other members escaped in the white Hilux.
“Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to being part of the gang that kidnapped the 63-year-old woman on 30/11/2021 and abandoned her when they noticed that the police were closing in on them,” Edafe disclosed.
According to him, the suspect eventually led the police operatives to his abode where one Ak 47 rifle, 19 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, one magazine, one pump action gun and 26 live cartridges concealed in a sack bag and buried in the compound were recovered.
DSP Edafe quoted CP Ari Muhammed Ali as, “while appreciating the efforts of all stakeholders in the fight against crimes and criminality, also admonished Deltans to be law-abiding and always give credible information to the police for a safer Delta State.”
