By Prince Woke
The Rivers State Police Command has rescued a 13-year-old girl abducted on June 5, 2025, in Umuebule, Etche Local Government Area, while a suspected kidnapper, identified as 30-year-old Chizoba Andrew Obi, died during a gunfight with the police.
According to a statement released on June 12, 2025, by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the command received credible intelligence on June 7, 2025, at about 9:30 a.m., concerning the disappearance of the girl, who was last seen around 3:30 p.m. on June 5 while running an errand for her mother.
The victim’s mother later received a ransom demand of ₦2 million from the suspected kidnappers, who threatened to kill the girl if the money was not paid.
“Operatives from the C4i Intelligence Unit swiftly commenced investigations and arrested a 24-year-old female suspect from Igbo-Etche. She was identified as the subscriber of the SIM cards used to make the ransom calls. The suspect claimed that her phone had been stolen on the day of the abduction,” the statement said.
Further investigations led to the arrest of the principal suspect, Chizoba Andrew Obi, on June 10 at about 4:00 p.m. The kidnapped girl was rescued unharmed from a fenced forest in Umuechem community, also in Etche LGA. Items recovered from the scene included one locally made pistol and one live cartridge.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being a serial kidnapping kingpin operating with a four-man gang.
While leading police operatives to the forest to recover the gang’s weapons, other members of the gang ambushed the officers, opening fire. A gunfight ensued, during which the arrested suspect attempted to escape and was caught in the crossfire. He sustained bullet wounds and was rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), where he was later pronounced dead by the attending doctor. His body has been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.
The rescued victim has since been debriefed and reunited with her family.
SP Koko added that investigations are ongoing and efforts are being intensified to apprehend the remaining gang members and recover their weapons.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga A. Adepoju, psc, mnips, commended the operatives for their bravery and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all residents in the state. He urged the public to remain vigilant and report any individuals with gunshot wounds to the nearest police station or relevant security agencies.
