The Imo Police Command on Thursday paraded 72 suspects which it said were allegedly believed to be behind the recent waves of criminality across the state.
The state Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Ladodo, while parading the suspects in Owerri, said that they were arrested at different points within the state and beyond in the last six weeks.
He said that the clampdown on criminals in the state was in line with the “Operation Puff Adder” launched by the Inspector General of Police, which he said was still ongoing.
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According to him, 22 kidnap victims were rescued, while 11 stolen vehicles were recovered within the period under review.
Among those paraded were members of a notorious kidnap syndicate that specialised in the abduction of minors from their parents’ homes.
He said, “the suspects: Chukwuemeka Onyebuchi, 43, and Aina Nwachukwu , 45, were arrested following a tip-off after they had allegedly abducted two minors: Oluwa Chukwu Opanwa ,4, and Promise Opanwa (2).”
Both children who were females from the same parents were abducted at Umuobum in Ideato South Council Area of the state.
According to the CP, the police are on the trail of the other fleeing members of the gang; while efforts are on to recover the abducted children.
The CP also said that the command had arrested a member of a gang of serial rapists, Stanley Ebere, who participated in gang raping an 11-year-old girl in the company with other fleeing members of the gang.
Ladodo warned criminals in the state that the police command would not spare them, adding that the command’s community policing had begun to yield results .
