Police rescue five kidnap victims in Rivers

By : Obinna Nwaoku

Date: 4 December 2025 9:16am WAT

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Henry Okoye

Henry Okoye

The Rivers State Police Command has announced the successful rescue of five victims who were abducted by suspected cultists in Emuoha Local Government Area of the state on Monday.

The victims, Prince London ‘M’, Azubuike Kelechukwu ‘M’, Elizabeth Aniete ‘F’, Onyebuchi Precious ‘M’, and London Sampson ‘M’, were rescued unhurt at Rumudogo 2 Community in Emuoha LGA.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer of Rivers State, Grace Iringe-Koko, the rescue operation was conducted by the command’s Tactical Teams, in collaboration with other security agencies and with the support of the community, at around 1:00 am on December 4, 2025.

She stated that the victims have been taken to the hospital for medical examination, adding that intensive efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing cultists/abductors.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, assured that the perpetrators will be tracked down and made to face the full wrath of the law.

He also urged the community and the general public to continue collaborating with the police to ensure residents’ safety.

This rescue operation is a follow-up to an earlier incident where suspected cultists in Emuoha LGA abducted five students of Rivers State University.

In other news, Imo State Police Command has refuted allegations of human rights abuses unleashed on the detainees at the anti-kidnapping unit (aka Tiger Base), said to be perpetrated by the officers of the unit.

The command also dismissed a viral video in circulation alleging that the officers of the unit were engaging in human torture, organ trafficking and extra-judicial killings.

In a statement issued Wednesday night, the spokesperson of the command, Henry Okoye, stated that the video was false and unfounded, intended to mislead the public.

Okoye, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), clarified that the unit was a legitimate tactical facility established as a formation of the Nigeria Police Force mandated to combat kidnapping activities, armed robbery, cultism, and other violent crimes in the state, clarifying that it was not an illegal detention facility or a place taken as a slaughterhouse.

The statement read: “The Imo State Police Command has noted with dismay a viral social media publication alleging that the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, with the operational call sign ‘Tiger Base,’ engages in torture, organ trafficking, and extrajudicial killings. The Command categorically refutes these claims as false, unfounded, and intended to mislead the public.

“The Anti-Kidnapping Unit (Tiger Base) is a legitimate tactical formation of the Nigeria Police Force mandated to combat kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, and other violent crimes. It is not an illegal detention facility or a slaughterhouse, and all suspects are handled in line with the law.”

Highlighting the achievements of the unit, he stressed, “The Unit has successfully dismantled several notorious kidnapping and armed robbery syndicates, contributing to the improved peace and security that Imolites enjoy today.

“There is no credible evidence supporting the allegations of torture, organ harvesting, or extrajudicial killings. These narratives are considered part of a smear campaign by criminal elements affected by ongoing security operations.”

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