From The Nijasun News Desk
The Anambra State Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough in its ongoing offensive against kidnapping and violent crimes with the arrest of two suspected members of a notorious kidnap syndicate linked to multiple abduction cases in the state.
Addressing journalists in Awka on Saturday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, acting on credible intelligence and painstaking investigations, arrested one Dauda Mohamed, 38, on July 27, 2026.
According to Ikenga, the suspect allegedly confessed during interrogation to participating in several kidnapping operations across Anambra State.
He reportedly identified Umar Ali, popularly known as “Barjini,” 50, as the leader of the criminal gang responsible for coordinating logistics and supplying weapons used by the syndicate.
He also named two other suspected gang members, Usman and Gongola, who remain at large.
The police said the investigation is linked to the abduction of a victim at Divine Heritage Lodge, Ukwulu, in Dunukofia Local Government Area on June 26, 2026.
During the incident, armed hoodlums reportedly emerged from an uncompleted building behind the lodge, opened fire, abducted the victim into a nearby bush, and demanded a ransom of ₦30 million.
After negotiations, the victim’s family reportedly paid ₦15 million before the victim regained freedom after spending four days in captivity.
Preliminary investigations further revealed that the syndicate allegedly relocated from armed bandit enclaves in Nigeria’s North-West to establish criminal operations in parts of the South-East.
The gang was also said to have used an AK-47 rifle allegedly supplied by its leader to execute kidnapping and armed robbery operations.
Following fresh intelligence obtained from the first suspect, police operatives extended the operation to Ugwuoba Gariki in Enugu State, where they successfully arrested the alleged gang leader, Umar Ali, also known as “Barjini.”
The Command assured residents that it remains committed to dismantling criminal networks and denying kidnappers and other violent criminals any safe haven in Anambra State.
Ikenga urged members of the public to continue supporting security agencies with timely, credible, and actionable information, stressing that security remains a collective responsibility.
He added that investigations are ongoing and that further developments would be made public as they unfold.
Tags: Anambra Police, Kidnapping, Crime, Security, Awka
