The Rivers State Police Command said on Wednesday that it had launched a manhunt for the suspected kidnappers, who attempted to hijack a 16-seater commercial bus in the Rumuodogo area of the East-West Road in the state.
The police insisted that they foiled the attempted hijack of the bus and killed three of the suspected kidnappers.
It was learnt that the hoodlums engaged the police personnel in a gun duel and not members of a local vigilante group as reported in some quarters.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, said in a statement that the commercial bus travelling from the state to Lagos would have been accosted and its passengers kidnapped if not for the swift intervention of the police personnel.
Omoni stated that the command was currently quizzing the arrested suspects, who had made useful confessions.
The police spokesman added that exhibits recovered from the suspects were one police camouflage and rounds of live ammunition.
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The statement read in part, “An attempt to hijack a 16-seater bus heading to Lagos was aborted by operatives of the newly-created Operation Sting at the Rumuodogo area of the East-West Road, where the hoodlums shot at a moving bus and attempted to abduct the passengers.
“The kidnappers, on sighting the police, opened fire and the police gave them a hot chase into the bush, making them to abandon their prey and at the end of the encounter, three of the suspected kidnappers were fatally wounded and died on the spot, while five others were arrested alive.
“They are helping the police with useful information, while efforts are seriously on to arrest other members of the gang on the run.
“Exhibits recovered from them are one police camouflage and rounds of live ammunition.”
Omoni made the clarification following a newspaper report (not The PUNCH) that the suspected kidnappers had earlier accosted and hijacked the 16-seater bus and took all passengers and driver into the forest unchallenged.
He described the report as false and should be discountenanced by members of the public. [PUNCH]
