23rd November, 2021
The Police in Cross River has confirmed the rescue of Dr Edmund Akpaikpe who was kidnapped on Sunday in Bakassi Local Government Area of the state..
Dr Akpaikpe was rescued by the Anti Kidnapping & Cultism Squad AKCS (Dragon) of the police command in the location where he was kept in the forest at about 2:00 am on Tuesday it was gathered.
It was also learn that the abandoned vehicle of the victim, a black Toyota Camry with REG AAA 564 BZ was also recovered by the police.
Also, three notorious kidnap suspects were arrested over the abduction of Dr Akpaikpe.
The suspects are Samuel Ime Thompson, 25 years, Kingsley Mbetobong, 23 years, and Asuquo Ekpo Etim, 26 years
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the rescue of Dr Akpaikpe in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Calabar.
According to her, the doctor was rescued by the Anti-Kidnapping and Cultism Squad (Dragon) of the command in the early hours of Tuesday.
She also confirmed that three notorious suspected kidnappers were apprehended in connection with the abduction of the medical doctor.
Ugbo said that the arrested suspects were assisting the police with its investigation and would soon be charged to court.
She added that the police was still on the trail of two other members of the five-man gang who escaped during the rescue operation.
“The spate of kidnapping in the country is saddening, especially now that we are coming to the end of the year.
“A lot of criminally minded individuals now use the excuse of trying to meet up to get into various crime including kidnapping.
“We want to use this opportunity to warn criminally minded individuals to either leave the state or be law abiding.
“We have resolved to go after anyone who is involved in crime with brutal force and we will not treat any kidnapper with kid gloves,” she said.
Ugbo commended the Commander of the Squad, SP Abdulhameed Awodi and his men, and other units of the command for carrying out the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Mr Aminu Alhassan, to the letter in rescuing Dr Akpaikpe.
“We laud the Dragon Squad for their dexterity because they are giving their all in making sure Cross River residents go about their lawful activities with ease.
“We are also appealing to the public, especially those living within the creeks, not to keep quiet whenever they see suspicious movement or see a face that is not known in their vicinity.
“They should always keep us abreast of such because it makes our job easier,” she said.