The Rivers State Police Command has said its operatives have rescue of a 13-year-old girl who was kidnapped on June 5, 2025, while running an errand for her mother in Umuebule community, Etche Local Government Area.
The police also neutralized a suspected kidnapper, Chizoba Andrew Obi, a 36-year-old male suspect, during a shootout with operatives from the C4i Intelligence unit.
According to the police Spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, the victim’s mother received ransom demands of N2 million via phone calls, with the kidnappers threatening to kill the daughter if the demand was not met.
The police promptly swung into action, arresting a 24-year-old female suspect who was suspected to be the subscriber of the SIM cards linked to the ransom demands.
Further investigation led to the arrest of the principal suspect, Chizoba Andrew Obi, and the rescue of the kidnapped victim, who was found unhurt in a fenced forest at Umuechem Community, Etche Local Government Area.
The police recovered one locally made pistol and one live cartridge during the operation.
She explained that during a shootout between the police and the kidnappers, the arrested suspect attempted to flee but was caught in the crossfire and sustained bullet wounds.
He was rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) for medical treatment but was pronounced dead by the medical doctor on duty.
She said: “The police are ongoing with efforts to apprehend other members of the syndicate and recover their operational weapons.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, commended the operatives for their bravery and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens.
The Commissioner of Police urged the public to be vigilant and promptly report any suspicious individual(s) with gunshot wounds to the nearest Police Station or other Security agencies.