Gunmen have abducted 14 passengers travelling along the Otukpo–Adoka road in Benue State, with the police confirming that five of the victims have so far been rescued.

The incident occurred on Thursday night when an 18-seater commercial bus travelling from Enugu State to Abuja was reportedly ambushed along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area.

A resident, Ochai, who spoke with our correspondent on Friday, said the gunmen forced all the passengers into the surrounding forest.

Ochai said, “Some gunmen ambushed an 18-seater bus heading to Abuja between Omutele and Ankpechi along Otukpo -Adola road yesterday (Thursday) night.

“All the passengers in the vehicle were whisked away by the gunmen.”

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, in a statement made available to journalists in Makurdi, said the police launched a coordinated rescue operation early Friday.

Aondongu said the operation involved an exchange of gunfire between the security operatives and the kidnappers.

The police boss said, “The Benue State Police Command has confirmed a kidnapping incident involving a commercial passenger bus travelling from Enugu State to Abuja along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area on the night of 13 August 2026.

“Following the incident, operatives of the command commenced a coordinated rescue operation early this (Friday) morning. The operation, which involved an exchange of gunfire, has so far resulted in the successful rescue of five victims, including a four-year-old boy, while nine others remain in the custody of the suspected kidnappers.”

The police spokesperson disclosed that one of the rescued victims sustained a gunshot injury during the operation and was taken to a medical facility in Otukpo for treatment.

He said the police, working with other security agencies, had intensified efforts to secure the release of the remaining nine victims.

According to Aondongu, the operation was being conducted cautiously, with the safety of the abducted passengers prioritised.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Cletus Nwadiogbu, also assured the victims’ families and members of the public that efforts would continue until the remaining passengers were rescued.

He urged residents of the affected communities to remain vigilant and provide security agencies with credible information that could aid the rescue operation.

The Enugu State Police Command has arrested and paraded suspected kidnappers allegedly linked to multiple kidnapping and murder cases across the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa at a press briefing in Enugu gave detailed accounts of how members of the kidnapping gangs were rounded up and the large sums of money obtained as ransom from the victims as well as sophisticated weapons were recovered through intelligence-led operations.

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PRESS BRIEFING BY THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, ENUGU STATE COMMAND, CP MAMMAN BITRUS GIWA, psc, mspsp, smicm, ON THE ARREST AND PARADE OF KIDNAPPING SUSPECTS LINKED TO MULTIPLE KIDNAPPING AND MURDER CASES IN ENUGU STATE, HELD 14THAUGUST, 2026, AT THE STATE HEADQUARTERS, GRA, ENUGU

Members of the Press,

I am pleased to brief you today on the outcome of a series of intelligence-led operations conducted by operatives of the Enugu State Police Command, which have resulted in the arrest of fourteen (14) male suspects linked to different kidnapping syndicates operating across State lines and implicated in multiple kidnapping incidents and a murder case in Enugu State.

You will recall that the Command has, at various times and locations, rescued kidnapped victims, arrested and, in some instances, neutralised kidnapping suspects, while recovering firearms, ammunition and other incriminating exhibits.

Recently, in separate joint operations, security operatives rescued kidnapped victims at Ogbozara Community in Nsukka LGA and Owukpa Community in Ogbadibo LGA of Benue State, with several exhibits, including live ammunition, recovered.

Most recently, one of the victims abducted from a church at Inoyi, Affa Community, Udi LGA, was rescued on 2nd August, 2026. Further joint, intelligence-led operations subsequently led to the rescue of the remaining two victims, the arrest of three suspects, the neutralisation of one suspect, and the recovery of ransom money, firearms, ammunition and other incriminating exhibits.

Further intelligence-led operations by the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Violent Crime Response Unit (AK-VCRU) led to the arrest of two additional male suspects linked to the Affa Church kidnapping. The duo, who fled to Port Harcourt following the operational pressure mounted by joint security operatives, were traced and arrested in Port Harcourt and brought back to Enugu.

The suspects and their weapons

Preliminary investigation reveals that, after fleeing Enugu, the suspects regrouped with their cohorts in Port Harcourt and abducted another victim, who was released after a ransom of ₦5,000,000.00 was paid.

In furtherance of the Command’s sustained offensive against kidnapping and other violent crimes, twelve (12) additional suspects were earlier arrested through human and technical intelligence-led operations conducted in different parts of the country. The suspects were arrested on various dates in June, July and August 2026 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Rivers, Kwara and Taraba States.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspects are members of an organised criminal network operating from different parts of the country. They converge in Enugu State to plan and execute kidnapping operations before returning to their respective locations.

The network is aided by an Enugu-based member who operates a tricycle and provides transportation for the gang members, their firearms and other criminal implements to and from operational locations. Another Enugu-based member provides intelligence that enables the gang to evade security surveillance and identify suitable targets and locations.

The suspects have, during interrogation, confessed to involvement in several recent and past kidnapping incidents across Enugu State, including along the Enugu–Ugwuogo–Opi–Nsukka Road; Obioma–9th Mile–Umulumgbe–Okpatu Road; Eke–Affa–Egede–Ezinze axis; and various locations in Ezeagu LGA.

Specifically, preliminary investigation has linked the suspects to the following armed kidnapping incidents:

These are in addition to other kidnapping incidents and ransom payments which the suspects have disclosed during interrogation.

Investigation has further revealed that the suspects laundered and concealed proceeds of their criminal activities through investments in livestock and different properties, lavish spending and other conspicuous consumption, as well as leisure and overseas trips, including trips to neighbouring countries such as Cameroon.

Exhibits recovered so far include:

The Command is conducting further investigations to establish the suspects’ involvement in other kidnapping and violent-crime incidents within and outside Enugu State, identify and arrest other members of the syndicate, and recover additional firearms, ammunition and other criminal proceeds. Upon conclusion of investigation, the suspects will be charged to court in accordance with extant laws.

The arrests and recoveries are a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of sustained intelligence gathering, ICT-enabled investigation, inter-agency collaboration, inter-state cooperation and coordinated operational policing adopted by the Command.

I wish to assure the Government and people of Enugu State that the Command remains resolute in its offensive against kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, rape, cultism and other violent crimes across the State. Our intelligence assets and operational teams remain fully engaged in identifying criminal networks, dismantling their structures and bringing their members to justice.

We will continue to make Enugu State increasingly unconducive to unrepentant local criminals, criminal elements seeking to infiltrate the State, and their activities.

I most sincerely appreciate the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc(+), NPM, for his strategic leadership, guidance and sustained operational support, which have continued to enhance effective and result-oriented policing in Enugu State.

I would also like to express my profound gratitude tothe Executive Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, for his unwavering support and commitment to making the State safe, secure and conducive for residents, visitors and legitimate economic activities. His forward-looking leadership and support for training and security operations have significantly strengthened our collective efforts to combat crime in the State.

I equally commend other security agencies for their collaborative support, while also thanking members of the public for their continued cooperation and timely provision of useful information to the Police. Community support remains indispensable to effective intelligence-led policing. I therefore urge residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons, movements and activities through established Police channels.

Thank you for your time and attention.

… Recover 5 AK-47 Riffles, 2 pump action rifles, ammunition

The Enugu State Police Command has arrested and paraded 14 kidnap suspects involved in various kidnap operations in and outside the state.

Briefing pressmen at the Command’s headquarters in Enugu on Friday, the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, said among them were two remaining suspects linked to the August 2 kidnapping raid on St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Affa, Udi LGA of the state, who fled to Port Harcourt following the operational pressure mounted by joint security operatives.

“Further intelligence-led operations by the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Violent Crime Response Unit (AK-VCRU) led to the arrest of two additional male suspects linked to the Affa Church kidnapping. Preliminary investigation reveals that, after fleeing Enugu, the suspects regrouped with their cohorts in Port Harcourt and abducted another victim, who was released after a ransom of ₦5m was paid,” he said.

CP Giwa noted that all the 14 suspects were arrested on various dates in June, July and August 2026 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Rivers, Kwara and Taraba States.

The suspects had also confessed to involvement in several recent and past kidnapping incidents along the Enugu–Ugwuogo–Opi–Nsukka Road, Obioma–9th Mile–Umulumgbe–Okpatu Road, Eke–Affa–Egede–Ezinze axis, and various locations in Ezeagu LGA.

“Specifically, preliminary investigation has linked the suspects to the following armed kidnapping incidents: the abduction of a male victim at Mgbabuowa/Aguobuowa, Ezeagu LGA, on 25th May, 2026, during which ₦5m was obtained as ransom; the abduction of two male victims and the shooting and murder of a female victim at Obioma, Udi LGA, on 9th May, 2026, during which the gang obtained $28,700 as ransom; the abduction of two male victims along the Eke–Ezinze Road, Udi LGA, on 10th April, 2026, for which $70,000 was obtained as ransom; and the kidnapping of seven victims at Obinaofia, Ezeagu LGA, on 12th April, 2026, during which ₦25m was obtained as ransom,” he explained.

The CP revealed that the suspects, who were members of an organised criminal network operating from different parts of the country, usually came into the state to plan and execute kidnapping operations before disappearing to their respective locations.

“The network is aided by an Enugu-based member who operates a tricycle and provides transportation for the gang members, their firearms and other criminal implements to and from operational locations. Another Enugu-based member provides intelligence that enables the gang to evade security surveillance and identify suitable targets and locations,” he added.

According to Giwa, investigation revealed that the suspects laundered and concealed proceeds of their criminal activities through investments in livestock and different properties, and engaged in lavish spending as well as leisure and trips to foreign nations such as Cameroon.

He said the Command was still conducting more investigations to establish the suspects’ involvement in other kidnapping and violent-crime incidents within and outside Enugu State, identify and arrest other members of the syndicate, and recover additional firearms, ammunition and other criminal proceeds.

“Upon conclusion of investigation, the suspects will be charged to court in accordance with extant laws'” he added.

The police command also displayed five AK-47 rifles, two pump-action guns, one locally fabricated firearm, 310 rounds of live 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, eight live cartridges, and seven empty AK-47 magazines recovered from the suspects.

CP Giwa credited the successes recorded by the Enugu Police Command to the availability of state-of-the-art security infrastructure, effectiveness of sustained intelligence gathering, ICT-enabled investigation, inter-agency collaboration, inter-state cooperation and coordinated operational policing adopted by the Command.

He commended Governor Peter Mbah and the Inspector General of Police for their leadership and support in ensuring security and order in Enugu State.

“I would also like to express my profound gratitude to Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, for his for-looking leadership and for making the state safe.

“I equally commend other security agencies for their collaborative support, while also thanking members of the public for their continued cooperation,” he concluded.

The CP reiterated police’s readiness to make Enugu State increasingly unconducive to unrepentant local criminals, criminal elements seeking to infiltrate the State, commending Governor Peter Mbah and IGP Disu for their strategic leadership and support.

Meanwhile, one of the suspects, confessed his crime to newsmen, saying his gang operated along the stretch of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and earned multimillion naira in ransoms before they were bursted by security forces.