Despite the huge successes recorded so far by Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, through the launch of Operation Udo Ga Achi and the security outfit Agunechemba, kidnappers seem to have returned to the state.
Although several suspected kidnappers have been arrested by the security outfit, and many native doctors who prepare charms for them have also been apprehended—while others have fled—kidnapping activities have not subsided.
The latest kidnapping occurred on Friday night along the Nsugbe–Nneyi Umuleri road in Anambra State around 9 p.m.
In the incident, a man named Dona Ayakalor was abducted alongside three of his friends and taken to the kidnappers’ camp, where the gang is demanding ransom for their release.
A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed a moment when the kidnappers shot one of the victims in the foot, breaking his ankle—perhaps as a means of demonstrating their seriousness and compelling their relatives to pay the ransom.
The victim was seen in the video wailing in pain, almost hugging another victim, while a third victim was frantically making a phone call, begging a suspected relative to mobilize funds for his release.
What is even more intriguing is that the incident happened in Anambra North Senatorial Zone—an area that, despite the festering incidents of unknown gunmen, has been known to be relatively quiet.
When our reporter reached out to the police spokesperson for the state command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, for a reaction, he was unavailable online.
As of the time of filing this report, he had yet to respond to inquiries about the incident.
The new Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, recently celebrated one month of zero kidnappings in the state, but this incident seems to have put a dent in that record.
Anambra: Four kidnapped at Umueri
