The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has announced the arrest of 10 suspected kidnappers, who have confessed to the crime.
The Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durosinmi, revealed that the 10 kidnappers were among the 79 suspects arrested in the state so far in 2024.
The suspects were apprehended with four AK-47 rifles, and they had planned to unleash mayhem on the state.
The operation that led to the arrests took place in Ibiaku Ikot Oku Community Forest, where over 15 heavily armed suspects were camping.
The police engaged them in a gun duel, leading to the arrest of four suspects and the recovery of one AK-47 rifle. A follow-up operation by the Anti-Robbery Unit of the Command resulted in the arrest of six more suspects and the recovery of three additional AK-47 rifles.
The arrested suspects confessed to planning and monitoring the kidnapping of an expatriate involved in construction work along Calabar-Itu Highway.
The police commissioner also disclosed the arrest of two gangs of eight armed robbery suspects with locally made pistols, two pairs of police accoutrements, two machetes, an expended cartridge, and substances suspected to be hard drugs.
Some of the robbery suspects confessed to being members of the Iceland Cult group and were responsible for robberies in various local government areas.
