The police in Abia State at the weekend killed six suspected kidnappers in the Osokwa area of Osisioma LGA and rescued four of their victims.
Speaking on the incident, the state commissioner of police, Danladi Isah, said no officer sustained injury during the operation.
The victims were later brought to the Government House, Umuahia Saturday night where the state Governor, Dr Alex Otti commended the police for displaying remarkable gallantry.
He also commended them for neutralising the six suspected kidnappers and rescuing the four captives, as ordered the house where the kidnapped victims were held be demolished forthwith and the landlord be arrested and prosecuted.
The Governor who reiterated that no inch of Abia State would be surrendered to criminals, warned that any landlord or community leader found providing protection or an operational base for criminal elements would be made to face the consequences.
He expressed sadness over the recent killing of two people in the Ukwa area of the state, while a kidnapped indigene remains in captivity at an unknown location.
Earlier, Danladi Isa, disclosed that his command deployed a tactical team with modern technology to the area following an information on the kidnap incident, adding that the team’s intelligence and bravery led to the neutralisation of the bandits and the rescue of their victims from a three-bedroom bungalow.
The police boss in Abia stated however that some of the kidnappers escaped with bullet wounds, while some firearms and ammunition were recovered from the house.
According to him, efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing criminals.
He therefore thanked Otti for his support to the police and other security agencies in the state and appealed to Abia residents to provide credible information that could lead to the arrest of criminals.
Speaking to journalists, the rescued kidnap victims said they were abducted last Sunday and kept in a residential building without food and water 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.
