Several kidnappers killed as Enugu residents urge govt to demolish properties used as kidnap hideouts
Several kidnappers killed as Enugu residents urge govt to demolish properties used as kidnap hideouts: No fewer than 27 kidnappers, including members of
the Auto Pilot, also known as Unknown Gunmen, a notorious
breakaway faction of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra
(IPOB) loyal to the Finland based fugitive, Simon Ekpa, which
terrorized Enugu and its environs had been gunned down in
shoot-outs with security operatives at various locations across
the state in the past two weeks, a police detective has disclosed.
This was as residents of the state appealed to the governor to invoke
the provisions of the state’s criminal code and demolish all the properties
used by kidnappers and other criminal elements as stash houses,
saying it would serve as deterrent to criminals.
Several kidnappers killed as Enugu residents urge govt to demolish properties used as kidnap hideouts:police sp
Speaking at Ugwuogo Nike-Opi Road in the early hours of Wednesday,
a Police Superintendent, SP Onochie Ezeh, who led a joint security operation
to rescue some kidnap victims, said the operation led to the killing
of 7-man-gang kidnappers at Ogbeke Nike where the kidnappers used
a large poultry farm to hide their hostages.
He explained that Wednesday’s successful operation was part of the sustained operations in the state to flush out criminals operating from other neighboring states,
including kidnappers, unknown gunmen and other unscrupulous elements.
“We were on the trail of these kidnappers for more than three months now.
They had been operating within this axis where they kidnapped their
victims and kept them at a large poultry farm at Ogbeke Nike until
ransoms are paid. So, on a tipoff from members of the public who
suspected the strange movements in the area and the accounts of some
of the victims of these criminals, we swung into action. On sighting us,
these men of the underworld opened fire on my men, and we quickly
retaliated and overpowered them with our superior firepower,” he stressed.
the combined security
Speaking further, SP Ezeh disclosed that the combined security task force,
set up by the Enugu State governor, Mr Peter Mbah, as a tactical squad
against kidnappings and activities of unknown gunmen, had recorded
milestones in policing the state and flushing out criminal elements.
“This is a gallant crack squad with the mandate to eliminate every form
of threat in the state. We have recorded huge successes over the past months.
You know our role is not to rush to the media to tell our story but to ensure
that every citizen and resident of the state has peace.
“I can tell you that we have already neutralized over 7 criminal gangs who
were mostly kidnappers and unknown gunmen. We are going after them.
We are taking the battle to their doorsteps because the governor said
we should not come back home if we don’t completely rid the state of threats.
“So we are on it. In fact, during our operations, we identified many criminal hideouts that serve as rogue premises where kidnap victims and dangerous weapons are kept.
These places include New Artisan Market, Akwuke community, Akegbe-Ugwu, Four Corners, Awgu, Mgbowo, Emene, Eke and Afa in Udi and some parts of Isi Uzo local government. During rescue operations, we were able to neutralize over 30 of the kidnappers
and recovered guns and valuables,” the police chief added.
the rsidents
Meanwhile, residents in the state have called on Governor Mbah to go
beyond arresting and hunting down the kidnappers to invoking
his power as the chief security officer of the state through the demolition of all the properties harbouring the kidnappers.
According to them, the law empowers the state government to demolish buildings used for kidnap activities, including hotels and private facilities.
A senior lawyer, Chief Ani Iheanacho, who spoke to newsmen in Enugu,
said the state has an existing criminal law which was amended in 2016 to accommodate a new section which empowers the governor to pull down structures used for kidnapping.
“We cannot continue like this. Yes, beyond going after the criminals,
the governor must show both political and legal courage to go after
properties used as hostage holding cells and bring them down irrespective of who the owner or owners are.
“The state must deter these criminals and those enabling their access to such buildings. That is what justice is all about. It’s justice to the kidnap victims; justice to
the family of the victims, and justice to the society at large,” the
legal practitioner submitted.
One of the rescued kidnap survivors, Dr Kate Pamela, said she was traumatized by the ugly experiences at the hands of the kidnappers.
the poultry
“Each time I pass through that poultry, I feel I have been denied justice by still allowing it to operate. They kidnapped us and kept us there for five days.
They even killed two of the victims because their families could only afford ten million naira each against the fifty million naira demanded. Notwithstanding that I was able to identify the bodies of three of the kidnappers when they were killed, I still feel that the area should be cleared.
“Government must ensure justice by turning that place to a landfill,” Dr Pamela fumed.