Abia State governor, Dr Alex Otti, has commended the Commissioner of Police (CP), Danladi Isa, and his officers for neutralising six kidnappers and rescuing their captives alive in the Osokwa area.
Furthermore, he ordered that the house where the kidnapped victims were held be demolished, and the landlord queried.
Otti made this statement at Government House, Umuahia, on Saturday evening while briefing journalists on his administration’s latest achievements on security.
The governor, who reiterated that no part of the State would be surrendered to criminals, warned that any landlord or community leader found providing protection or an operational base for criminal elements would face the consequences.
He expressed sadness over the recent killing of two people in the Ukwa area by the police, while a kidnapped indigene of the State remains in captivity at an unknown location.
Speaking earlier, CP Isa said his command deployed a tactical team and modern technology to neutralise the bandits and rescue their victims from a three-bedroom bungalow.
Isa announced that some of the kidnappers escaped with bullet wounds, while firearms and ammunition were recovered from the gang. He added that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing criminals.
He thanked Governor Otti for his support of the police and other security agencies in the State, appealing to residents of the State to provide credible information that could lead to the arrest of criminals.
Speaking to journalists, the rescued kidnap victims said they were abducted last week and kept in a residential building without food for five days.
They recounted how the kidnappers had begun using their seized phones to contact their family members for ransom before they were suddenly rescued by the Nigerian Police.