By Charles Maduka
The Delta State Police Command has killed five suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate following a gun battle in the Uwiamughe forest, Ughelli North Local Government Area.
According to police spokesperson Bright Edafe, the operation, led by ASP Julius Robinson, was initiated on the basis of credible intelligence. Officers first apprehended the syndicate’s leader at the DSC roundabout in Warri, and subsequent interrogations led to the arrest of two more suspects at Otovwodo Park in Ughelli.
Investigations linked the group to a series of kidnappings and armed robberies in Uwiamughe, Otu-Jeremi, Warri, and Ughelli. Acting on the suspects’ confessions, police operatives proceeded to the Uwiamughe forest, where the gang had concealed their weapons.
As the officers were leaving the forest, they came under attack from armed gang members, leading to an exchange of gunfire. Five of the assailants sustained injuries and later succumbed at the hospital.
Recovered from the scene were an AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, three locally made firearms, two magazines, and 60 rounds of AK-47 ammunition.
The three arrested suspects remain in police custody, while efforts are ongoing to track down other members of the syndicate.
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