Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has disclosed that over 21 kidnappers were arrested by the police across the state with the last one month, among them the suspected kidnappers of the father of Super Eagles and Chelsea of England football star, John Mikel Obi.

Of those now in police net, 15 had been on the wanted list while two of the suspects are already undergoing prosecution in the courts.

Governor Obiano said that other high profile kidnap cases carried out by the suspects include those of the Personal Assistant to the former Commissioner of Works in Anambra State; Mr. Clement Ayika (Captain); brother of a member of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Valentine Ayika; and Mr. Pius Maduka, elder brother of Coscharis Chairman, Mr. Cosmas Maduka, amongst several others.

Chief Obiano disclosed this while reacting to the latest demolition exercise carried out in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, in the past two days. A total of six bungalows belonging to kidnap kingpins and their collaborators in the Awkuzu area which were used as den for several victims were pulled down.

A visibly elated Obiano said: “The state is winning the war against criminals and has continued to empower Operation Kpochapu, the state joint security team, with necessary equipment and gadgets including over 60 security vehicles to aid their operations.”

He explained that the State Vigilante Service is being re-organised and the personnel retrained and screened to weed out bad eggs with a retired Commissioner of Police now in charge. He stated that the drone and closed circuit television and other crime detection techniques and technology deployed across the state are yielding the desired result, thus the criminals and miscreants have no more hiding place. The governor commended the security agencies and urged the citizens to continue to support the government to sustain the tempo.

Three more buildings used for kidnap activities have been knocked down by the state government at Awkuzu, less than twenty-four hours after three other buildings were demolished in the same town.

The demolished buildings include a four-bedroom bungalow at Umudunu Dusogu, built by one Izuchukwu, who died in a gun duel with the police on February 9, 2014; and another four-bedroom bungalow with adjoining boys’ quarter owned by the Nwadike family of Obinetiti Dusogu Village, Awkuzu, which was used as a den for kidnap victims by one of their daughters, one Baby Igbanugo Nwadike, now at large, and members of her gang.

Speaking on the latest demolition exercise, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, Mr. Finihan Adeboye, said that the buildings were used severally for incarceration of kidnap victims who were compelled to pay millions of naira to secure their freedom. He confirmed that one of the suspects confessed that over N20 million was realised as ransom from the house at Umudunu, while over N80 million was collected from several victims kept at the Obinetiti Awkuzu kidnap den.

DCP Adeboye explained that the demolition exercise is in keeping with the provisions of the law and the directive of Governor Obiano, who has revoked the rights of occupancy of the building and land.

According to DCP Finihan Adeboye, “The exercise is a confirmation of the resolve of the resolve of the State Governor and the entire security agencies that the war against crime and all forms of criminality is a continuous one, which will not be stopped until the state is rid of all forms of criminality.”

Some residents of the area expressed joy that the governor is carrying the war against kidnappers to all nooks and crannies and praised him for sustaining the war against criminals in Anambra State.

•Photo shows suspected armed robbers and kidnappers paraded at SARS, Awkuzu, Anambra State.

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