Suspect linked to 2023 kidnapping, murder nabbed in Anambra

Photo: Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Ama

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old suspected kidnapper, Olisa Oyelu, also known as “Obele,” over alleged kidnapping and armed robbery, in connection with a 2023 kidnapping incident that resulted in the death of a victim.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the arrest followed sustained intelligence gathering and painstaking investigation by operatives of the command.

Ikenga said operatives attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department arrested Oyelu in the early hours of Wednesday, September 23.

According to the statement, Oyelu was allegedly an active member of a notorious armed robbery and kidnapping gang led by a suspected criminal identified as “Pincode.”

The police spokesman said Oyelu was the last identified member of the gang to be arrested in connection with the 2023 kidnapping incident.

He said the incident, which the suspect was allegedly involved in, resulted in the death of the victim.

The statement read in part, “The Anambra State Police Command operatives attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department in the early hours of September 23 arrested Olisa Oyelu, alias ‘Obele’, aged 25 years, the last identified member of the notorious armed robbery and kidnapping gang led by a suspected criminal known as ‘Pincode’, in connection with a 2023 kidnapping incident which resulted in the death of the victim.

“The arrest followed sustained intelligence gathering and painstaking investigation by police operatives.

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“The suspect is alleged to have been an active member of the gang involved in the kidnapping operation.

“Following the incident, the police commenced an extensive investigation aimed at identifying, arresting and prosecuting all persons connected with the crime.”

Ikenga said the suspect would be handed over to the correctional centre after the conclusion of the investigation, adding that Pincode and four other suspects were already in custody awaiting the determination of the court.

He said the arrest represented a significant development in the ongoing investigation and reiterated the command’s commitment to ensuring that all persons found to have participated in the crime were brought to justice.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Ama, commended the operatives for their perseverance, dedication and intelligence-led approach to the investigation.

Ama assured residents of the state that the command would continue to pursue criminal elements within and outside Anambra until they were brought before the law.

The CP also urged members of the public to continue providing the police with credible and timely information, noting that security remained a shared responsibility.