Police authorities in Rivers State have reported what looks strange. Kidnappers now build ‘warehouses’ in the forests where they keep their victims awaiting ransom.
The police special unit which discovered this in a part of Rivers State said they arrested the mastermind and rescued a girl from the ‘warehouse’.
Police have found that kidnappers, finding it difficult to get homes to kid their victims, now build huts in forests and ‘warehouse’ their abductees.
It was gathered that they cut deep into the womb of a thick forest and set up hideout and warehouse. They blindfold their victims and take them to the locations, often with bikes.
Giving details, Grace Iringe-Koko, police public relations officer (PPRO), the task began when the Rivers State Police Command received credible intelligence regarding a 13-year-old girl who went missing on June 5, 2025 at about 3.30pm while running an errand for her mother in Umuebule community, Etche Local Government Area.
The PPRO said the victim’s mother subsequently received ransom demands of N2m via phone calls threatening that the daughter will be killed if the demand was not met.
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Operatives from the C4i Intelligence unit promptly swung into action, arresting a 24-year-old female suspect from Igbo-Etche, suspected to be the subscriber of the SIM cards linked to the ransom demands. The suspect made it clear her phone was stollen same day of the kidnap.
Police said further investigation culminated in the arrest of the principal suspect, one Chizoba Andrew Obi, a 36-year-old male.
Police said the kidnapped victim was rescued unhurt in a fenced forest at Umuechem Community, Etche Local Government Area.
When the Rivers police command busted the forest ‘warehouse’ they said they found one locally-made pistol and one live cartridge.
During interrogation, Koko went on, the suspect confessed to being a serial kidnapping kingpin operating with a four-man gang.
As Police operatives were led by the suspect to the forest to recover their operational weapons, the gang members on sighting the Police opened fire, prompting a shootout between the Police and kidnappers. “The arrested suspect attempted to flee but was caught in the crossfire and was neutralized, sustaining bullet wounds, while other members of the gang escaped with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.”
The police said the suspected kingpin was rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) for medical treatment, but was pronounced dead by the medical doctor on duty.
The police said the corpse of the deceased suspect was deposited at the mortuary for autopsy. “The victim was debriefed and has been reunited with her family.
“Investigation is ongoing, with efforts underway to apprehend other members of the syndicate and recover their operational weapons.”
The Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga A. Adepoju, is said to have commended the operatives for their bravery and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to ensuring safety and security of all citizens.
He further noted that efforts would be sustained to bring to justice all perpetrators of crime and criminality in the State, while urging the public to be vigilant and promptly report any suspicious individual with gunshot wounds to the nearest Police Station or other Security agencies.
