Police Arrest Two Suspected Kidnappers After N10.3m Ransom Payment

Police in Rivers State have arrested two suspected members of a six-man kidnapping gang accused of abducting a Port Harcourt resident and holding him captive for three days before his family reportedly paid ₦10.3m for his release.

The victim, identified as Mr Hassan, was allegedly kidnapped on September 6, 2026, near Fidelity Bank in the Garrison area of Port Harcourt.

According to the Rivers State Police Command, the kidnappers took Hassan to Igbugulu Waterside in Borikiri, where he was held for three days.

His relatives subsequently paid ₦10.3m in ransom before the victim was released.

The Command said it received credible information about the incident on September 7 and immediately deployed operatives of its Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU-AKU) for an intelligence-led operation.

The operation led to the arrest of two suspected members of the gang.

The suspects were identified as 24-year-old Victor Ifeanyi, also known as “Big Boby”, a native of Aguleri Community in Otuocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, and 36-year-old Aniekan Okon Michael, also known as “Duff Man”, from Ikot Ukpor, Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

Police said preliminary investigations showed that the suspects allegedly confessed to participating in the kidnapping.

They reportedly told investigators that the syndicate consists of six members who used a white mini-bus, popularly known as a Keke bus, during the operation.

The police said efforts were ongoing to arrest the four other members of the gang.

The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju, urged residents to provide information that could assist the police in identifying and apprehending suspected criminals.

Adepoju assured residents that information supplied to the police would be treated confidentially.

He also said the Command would continue to deploy intelligence-led operations to disrupt kidnapping syndicates and other criminal networks across the state.

The police urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies.