A popular hotelier in Rivers State, Mr. John Sunny who was abducted by gunmen from his residence at Artillery in Port Harcourt, the state capital has been rescued by the state Police command.
The command disclosed that the miscreants refused to release the victim even after his relatives paid ransom in dollars equivalent to the tune of N25 million through a food flask.
The State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, disclosed this during a media briefing at the command Headquarters along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
The CP said, "this gang of kidnappers specialize in collecting ransom through food flask. This victim was kidnapped on the 19th of December at his residence in Artillery, Port Harcourt by these hoodlums. The victim is a popular hotelier in town.
“These hoodlums shot him three times on the leg before he was abducted. His family did not tell the police or other security agencies. They (victim’s family) decided to pay the ransom that was demanded by the kidnappers.
“The total sum of about N25 million in dollars was paid to these kidnappers, but the refused to release the victim. It was at these this stage that the wife of the victim decided to inform the police, on the 30th of December.
“The Police of the C4i Intelligence started to work on it. Earlier this month our men had an encounter with them but these kidnappers escaped.”
Disu said on noticing that operatives have identified the kind of vehicles they used and the colours, the miscreants took the two operational vehicles to the panel bitter to change the colours.
“They changed the colours but we have recovered the two vehicles. Yesterday (Monday) night on the discovery of the location where the victim was kept, we decided to embark on a rescue operation of the victim today (Tuesday).
“At about 0700 hours officers of the command went to their abode in Agbonchia-Oyigbo forest in Eleme Local Government Area (in Rivers) where they kept then victim since then.
“The operation was successful, the victim was rescued alive and one of the kidnappers while exchanging fire with officers was injured and is undergoing treatment.
“The victim has been taken to the hospital and undergoing treatment at the moment. We recovered one AK-47 rifle from the kidnappers and two magazines loaded with 44 rounds of live ammunition and the two operational vehicles used to torment members of the public.
“The vehicles are one RS 315 and RS 330.. “The peculiar thing about these kidnappers is that they have been the ones collecting their ransom in food flask.
“They demand their ransom in dollars and ask it to be put in food flask. Those who escaped we know how to get them.”
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