Police in Anambra State have gunned down two members of a gang, suspected to be kidnappers.
This is coming as the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Aderemi Adeoye, has warned police operatives in the state to desist from incessant arrest of innocent citizens of the state.
Adeoye, who spoke to journalists in his maiden press conference after being posted to the state, said the command was ready to flush out criminal elements in the state.
He said: “I’m not in the habit of asking criminals to relocate to other states, our promise to them is that we will flush them out by ourselves.
“Already we have started. What you see here are arms recovered from a gang of suspected kidnappers, and behind you are two members of the gang who were neutralised.
“On 11/7/2023 by 8:30 pm the joint security operatives attached to Forwarding Operating Base (FOB), while on patrol around Uga-Ezinifite Expressway in an attempt to stop two vehicles (an ash Highlander SUV and a white Lexus 350) that drove suspiciously, started shooting sporadically to escape police screening.
“In an intense chase by the joint forces, the deadly gang abandoned the white Lexus 350 jeep and took to their heels.
“Further information showed evidence of blood stains on all the vehicles as they had escaped with bullet wounds.”
The commissioner called on operators of hospitals in the area to admit persons with bullet wounds, but also alert the police for investigation.
Adeoye said that at about the same time, operatives of Anambra State Vigilante, at Ichida bus stop along the Ichida-Igboukwu expressway, were involved in a shootout with another gang of kidnappers.
He said the operatives called on the police division in the area, causing the operatives of the police to join forces with the vigilante operatives, to overpower the kidnappers.
“We rescued a kidnap victim, neutralised two members of the notorious gang, recovered one AK-47 rifle, two pump action guns, two AK-47 magazines, 32 live ammunition, one Highlander SUV belonging to the victim.”
Speaking to journalists on the incessant arrest of citizens in the state, especially by ‘B’ Division police station, Adeoye said the police under his command will not tolerate any form of intimidation against citizens.
“We received the complaint, and we have removed the DPO at ‘B’ Division and replaced him with a much more senior officer. We will not tolerate that. We are trying to encourage nightlife, so incessant arrests will not be encouraged.
“We will descend hard on any officer that condones such. We are investigating the ‘B’ Division matter, and if at the end he is found guilty, we will deal very hard with such officers.”
