Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has commended security agencies for arresting three suspected members of a notorious kidnapping gang linked to the August 2 attack on St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Inoyi-Affa, in Udi Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects were apprehended during a joint operation involving the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Enugu State Forest Guard and other security agencies.
One suspected member of the gang was killed during a gun battle, while security operatives recovered four AK-47 rifles and a cache of ammunition.
Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, gave the commendation on Monday night during a visit to the Enugu State DSS headquarters, where he met the arrested suspects.
The SSG also disclosed that two of the three victims abducted during the August 2 attack, Seminarian Lawrence Igbo and Emmanuel Onwudi, had regained their freedom.
According to Onyia, the two victims had fully identified the arrested suspects as the men who abducted them.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to protecting the lives and property of residents, warning criminal elements that they would not be allowed to operate freely in Enugu.
“There was one fatality in this process. It was one of the criminals that died in the process of apprehending them,” Onyia said.
He added that the suspects would face the full weight of the law, stressing that the state government had established a robust security architecture to prevent and respond to criminal activities.
“We made it very clear that if criminality becomes your venture, Enugu State is not the location to do that business; that we will pursue you, we will make sure we bring you to justice,” he said.
Onyia warned residents against collaborating with criminal groups or providing information to them, saying anyone found assisting the suspects would also be prosecuted.
“We will find you also, just as we have found these people, and we will prosecute you as part of this evil operation and this evil syndicate,” he said.
He further warned that investigations into the kidnapping network were ongoing and that other individuals linked to the operation would be tracked down.
The SSG praised the security agencies for their cooperation and gallantry, particularly the DSS, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force and Enugu State Forest Guard.
“We also want to very highly commend all the security agencies: the DSS, Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police, the Enugu State Forest Guard, the military services, others for being very instrumental in some of the work that was done, and continue to do in Enugu State,” he said.
Boluwatife Enome
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