By Osi-sam Ede,
Security forces in Enugu State have arrested three suspects linked to the August 2, 2026, kidnapping at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Inoyi-Affa, in Udi Local Government Area, while a fourth suspect was killed in a shootout with operatives.
The joint operation, involving the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Enugu State Forest Guard and other security agencies, also secured the release of the two remaining kidnap victims — seminarian Lawrence Igbo and Emmanuel Onwudi — and recovered the ransom allegedly paid to the abductors.
Operatives also recovered four AK-47 rifles, seven magazines and 133 rounds of ammunition during the raid. The three arrested suspects were paraded at the DSS headquarters in Enugu on Monday evening.
Speaking at the parade, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said the suspects were tracked down through the state’s technology-driven security infrastructure.
“The ransom used as part of the strategy to secure the victims’ release has been fully recovered,” Mbah said, adding that the freed victims had identified the arrested suspects as members of the gang that abducted them.
The governor commended the DSS, Army, Police, Forest Guard and other agencies for their collaboration in tracking and apprehending the suspects, and said his administration would continue investing in security to protect lives and property across the state.
English