Police rescue eight abducted boat passengers, arrest kidnappers

The Rivers State Police Command has rescued eight abducted boat passengers who were kidnapped last Monday, September 6 and Tuesday, September 7, 2021, along the Bonny waterways in Bonny local council of the state.

The command has also arrested some of the kidnappers terrorising the Bonny waterways. The Bonny and Kula waterways in Akuku-Toru local council had witnessed series of kidnapping in recent times.

The spokesman of the State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, while parading one of the suspects yesterday in Port Harcourt, said the police commenced investigation into the incident by inviting one of the boat drivers whose passengers were kidnapped and he was able to identity an arrested suspect.

According to Omoni, the anti-terrorism unit investigating the matter moved in, tracked and arrested one of the suspects, Baridula Gbolo, while the eight kidnapped victims were released in a bush in Bolo in Ogu/Bolo local council after intense pressure by the police on the kidnappers.

Omoni said: “On Monday and Tuesday September 6 and 7 respectively, we recorded two separate incidents of attack on the water ways, the Bonny waters where on Monday, hoodlums kidnapped about five passengers and left the boat driver. On Tuesday, the same syndicates kidnapped passengers.

“In the cause of our investigations, the boat driver who was asked to go by the bandits was invited by the anti-terrorism team investigating the matter. After subjecting him to interrogations, he was able to identify one of the kidnappers.

“Luckily, we were able to arrest this one and upon his arrest he made useful confessions that they were the people that kidnapped the passengers on Monday and Tuesday. We mounted intense pressure on them and they had no choice than to allow the victims to go at a creek in Ogobolo where they were rescued by the police.”