By Gloria Drealomalicha
A joint security operation has led to the rescue of a woman abducted in Delta State and the arrest of one of the area’s most wanted kidnapping suspects following a fierce gun battle in a forest hideout.
The victim, Mrs Blessing Chiedu, a native of Umunede Kingdom, was kidnapped on 2 July 2026 along Ani-Ifekide Farm Road in Ubulu-Uku. Her abductors reportedly demanded a ransom of ₦100 million from her family.
According to Harrison Gwamnishu of SafeCity Security Service, the incident was immediately reported to the Delta State Police Command, prompting the Anti-Kidnapping Squad in Asaba, led by CSP Osakpolor, to launch a rescue operation.
Gwamnishu said intelligence gathered through the organisation’s Hydra Tech Surveillance System enabled security operatives to track the kidnappers’ movements, leading to the successful rescue of Mrs Chiedu along the Ubulu-Unor/Ashama Road. She was found alive and unharmed.
Following the rescue, security personnel intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects. The overnight operation reportedly culminated at about 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday when the surveillance system traced the gang to a hideout in the Ogwashi-Uku/Adonta Forest.
A gunfight broke out as operatives stormed the camp. During the exchange, one of the gang’s alleged leaders, Abubakar Usman, was arrested, while other members of the group escaped deeper into the forest with their weapons.
Gwamnishu alleged that preliminary investigations linked Usman and his gang to several kidnapping incidents across Igbodo, Umunede and neighbouring communities, where families were forced to pay millions of naira in ransom to secure the release of loved ones.
He commended the Delta State Government, led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, for creating an enabling environment for security operations. He also praised the Commissioner of Police in Delta State, officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad in Asaba, members of the Nigeria Forest Security Service, the Ubulu-Uku Anti-Cult Group, community leaders and other stakeholders who participated in the operation.
Gwamnishu reaffirmed the commitment of SafeCity Security Service and collaborating security agencies to sustaining the fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes, stressing that criminal elements would continue to face sustained pressure across Delta State.
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