Kidnapped Priests Will Soon Regain Freedom – Police

The Delta state Police command has dismissed as untrue report in some social media sites that  Reverend Father Chochos Kunav and his colleague, Raphael Ogigba kidnapped last Saturday night in Agbara-oto, Ughelli north local government area have been released,  stressing  that efforts were on to secure their release.

The state police spokesman, DSP Bright Edafe told the Vanguard on phone that he saw the news of the alleged release on social media and quickly made calls to the Divisional Police officers that should be aware but at the end he was told the police had no record of the release.

Continuing, he assured that the police command was making frantic effort to secure their release, adding that the police had mapped out strategies to smoke out kidnappers and criminal elements across Warri, Ughelli and environs.

He said the new drive of the police paid off in the early hours of yesterday as men from the B Division, Warri led by the Divisional Police officer, SP Bolanriwa Alabi engaged in a fierce gun battle along Warri – Sapele road with some armed robbers leaving one of the four gang members dead while the other three fled into the bush.

The police spokesman,  Edafe said the police also arrested  five suspected armed robbers at separate locations yesterday  along the Ughelli axis.

He said a vehicle, guns knives, bullets were among items recovered from the various armed robbers arrested.

The police further appealed for useful and timely information from the public to enhance fight against crime in the state, stressing that effective security was a shared responsibility.

“The Deputy Commissioner of police operations DCP Johnson Adenola, had a brainstorming meeting with key officers in the Command where strategies were mapped out to nip the activities of kidnappers in the bud. Tactical commanders were directed to proceed to Ughelli and Warri alongside their men to reinforce the divisions.

This effort  paid off when the DPO ‘B’ Division Warri, SP Bolarinwa Alabi on 4/5/2023 at about 0013hours, received a distress call that some armed robbers snatched a black lexus cars along warri-sapele road and have been robbing innocent citizens using the said car.

 The DPO swiftly mobilized and led a striking force team of the Division, trailed the hoodlums, and caught up with them. The hoodlums upon sighting the police exchanged firing with team. The hoodlums, numbering about four, escaped into the bush while firing at the police but one of them was hit and fatally wounded. The injured suspect gave up the ghost while receiving treatment. One locally made cut-to-size double barrel gun with two live cartridges, one suspected stolen vehicle were recovered.

In another development, on 1/5/2023, at about 2200 hours, as a proactive measure,  the DPO Ughelli  division led police operatives to patrol along Ughelli/Asaba road, during which, they intercepted one  Ifeanyi ‘m’ 36yrs and one other suspect and when search was conducted on them, one locally made single barrel gun with four live cartridges, one jack knife were recovered. On the same date, the DPO and his men also arrested one  Omote ‘m’ age 45 years, and two others, and one locally made single barrel gun with nine expended cartridges were recovered from them.