JTF Engages Suspected Kidnappers in Shootout In Anambra

The Police Command in Anambra has confirmed rescue of an alleged  kidnapped victim by the Joint-Security Taskforce in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Awka.

According to Ikenga, on the evening of Monday,  March 24,  a Joint Security Team comprising the police, military and Ihiala vigilante while on patrol, intercepted a black shuttle with registration number; RSH 255MS, that drove in a suspicious manner.

In an attempt to stop the vehicle, the armed occupants opened fire on the joint security team.

During the gun duel, the team killed one of the armed assailants while four others abandoned the shuttle bus and escaped with various degrees of bullet wounds into a nearby bush.

The operatives on searching the vehicle,  found a blindfolded victim, suspected to have been kidnapped and whose hands and legs were tied while his mouth was gagged.

He said  the victim was successfully rescued, given first aid and debriefed by the police operatives.

The PPRO also said  the victim’s shuttle bus was recovered at the scene, while the security team are still in an operation in the area  for possible arrest of others on the run.

He urged proprietors of private and public hospitals in the state to admit and report patients with bullet wounds or injuries of a suspicious nature to the nearest police station.

Ikenga explained that the measure was critical to the ongoing effort to apprehend the fleeing suspects and prevent further escalation of criminal activities in the state.

He said the command remained committed to maintaining security dominance through sustained patrols and targeted security operations in the state.