By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of two members of a suspected kidnapping syndicate allegedly linked to the abduction of three Cameroonian nationals who were kidnapped in Onitsha, Anambra State, despite the payment of a N2.9 million ransom.
The development was made known in an official press statement issued on Thursday, November 27, 2025, by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga.
According to the statement, the suspects, identified as Nonso Augustine Akpeh, aged 37, and Kingsley Akpeh, aged 44, were arrested by operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, following credible intelligence and sustained tactical operations.
SP Ikenga disclosed that during the arrest, police operatives recovered one pump-action gun, one locally fabricated double-barrel gun, and ten live cartridges from the suspects.
Preliminary investigation, according to the police, revealed that the three Cameroonian women were kidnapped on November 10, 2025, while on a business trip to Onitsha, where they had travelled to purchase goods.
The statement further disclosed that a relative of the victims informed the police on November 13, 2025, that the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N50 million but later accepted and collected N2.9 million from the family. However, despite the payment, the abductors reportedly refused to release the victims.
During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to the crime and mentioned another accomplice identified as Uchenna Nicholas Mmadu, who is currently on the run.
The PPRO revealed that the suspects later led police operatives to various bush locations in Anam Community, where the victims were reportedly held captive. However, during the operation, the second suspect, Kingsley Akpeh, attempted to escape but was intercepted and rearrested after sustaining an injury to his leg.
He further stated that while searching for the victims in the surrounding bushes, the police made distressing discoveries from residents in the area. He said, according to the information gathered, three unidentified female bodies were reportedly found floating in a nearby river about five days earlier, within the same vicinity where the kidnapped women were said to have been kept.
According to the PPRO, the police strongly suspect that the deceased persons may be the kidnapped Cameroonian women, although official identification is still ongoing.
The Police Spokesman said that investigations are still in progress, as operatives have intensified efforts to locate and recover the victims’ bodies, arrest the fleeing accomplice, and unravel the full extent of the criminal network behind the operation.
He reassured the public that the Anambra State Police Command remains fully committed to the fight against kidnapping and all forms of violent crimes in the state, stressing that further developments would be made public as investigations unfold.
The Command further urged residents to continue to cooperate with the police by providing useful and timely information that could assist in flushing out criminals from their communities.
