Nonsochulwu Uwa, Owerri
Security operatives on Saturday afternoon foiled an attempt to kidnap the owner of a jewelry shop along Ikenegbu Street, close to Kilimanjaro eatery, in Owerri, Imo State. And in doing so, the operatives shot dead the driver of the said kidnappers and arrested two other suspects.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Henry Okoye, confirmed that two of the suspects had been apprehended and one of them shot dead.
Recall that a similar incident occurred in the same Ikenegbu, involving the Chief Executive Officer, Johnny Supermarkets/Pharmacy, located at Ikenegbu Layout in Owerri, John Ugorji.
The victim was later freed two weeks after by his abductors.
But residents who spoke to newsmen in Owerri on the incident commended the police for their swift response to the incident.
According to one of the residents who would not want his name mentioned, security operatives shot dead the driver of the kidnappers in an attempt to demobilise their vehicle.
“The kidnappers were dragging the owner of the jewelry shop to their vehicle. The police got the distress call, stormed the area, targeted the driver of the kidnappers’ vehicle and shot him dead.
“So, the kidnappers who were dragging their victim to the vehicle on seeing that the police had shot dead the driver of their vehicle abandoned their victim, fled into different locations in the Ikenegbu area to hide.
“This was after the kidnappers engaged the security in a shoot out and the security overpowered them. Thank God the Police responded swiftly and intimidated the kidnappers,” said the resident.
