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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Police Command has rescued a 42-year-old woman, Sarah Chinedu, who was abducted in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state, after spending 26 days in a kidnapper’s den.
The 42-year-old woman, who is from Ebonyi State but residing in Amassoma where she assists her husband to sell phones and mattresses, was abducted on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, after suspected kidnappers reportedly stormed the phone shop under the guise of wanting to buy an item.
The Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, CP Ajao Adewale, who briefed journalists Sunday morning on the successful rescue operation carried out by men of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) led by CSP Chris Nwaogbo, disclosed that Mrs Chinedu was rescued unhurt from the kidnappers’ hideout in Ogobiri Forest, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the State.
According to Adewale, intelligence gathering, including digital and local sources, eventually provided clues on the movements of the kidnappers and their ransom negotiations with the victim’s family.
He disclosed that the kidnappers initially demanded N100m but later reduced the ransom to N20m and reportedly collected N1.5million for “refreshments” from the Husband.
The CP said operatives of the command’s VCRU led by CSP Nwaogbo had to relocate to Ogobiri Forest for five days before the final operation and began closing in on the suspects.
He stated the operatives stormed the kidnappers’ camp at about 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning to rescue the victim and arrest one of the suspected kidnappers identified as 33-year-old Mark from Akenfa 1 community.
The CP said Mark has already confessed to his involvement in the abduction and narrated how the gang allegedly carried out the operation.
“They surveyed the environment and saw that the woman was not sufficiently protected. They abducted her, put her in a vehicle and moved her to the riverside, where she was ferried to the camp,” he said.
Adewale commended the officers and men who participated in the operation, particularly those who endured difficult conditions on the river while tracking the kidnappers.
