Enugu: Police arrest four, recover stolen vehicles linked to 2022 kidnapping
The Enugu State Police Command has arrested four male suspects in separate intelligence-driven operations, recovering three stolen vehicles, including one linked to a 2022 kidnapping incident in neighbouring Anambra State.
The Enugu State Police Command has arrested four male suspects in separate intelligence-driven operations, recovering three stolen vehicles, including one linked to a 2022 kidnapping incident in neighbouring Anambra State.
Police said one of the vehicles was stolen in Enugu while the other two were snatched at gunpoint in Anambra State.
According to the command's Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, operatives attached to the Central Police Station (CPS), in collaboration with the Neighbourhood Watch Group, on February 26, 2026, at about 5:30 a.m., arrested a 22-year-old suspect, Teso Joseph Nsor, at Chris Chemist Roundabout, Enugu.
Nsor, a native of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, was reportedly apprehended while attempting to escape with a stolen Toyota Hiace bus.
Police investigations revealed that the suspect had arrived in Enugu a day earlier without a fixed address and allegedly accessed and started the vehicle using a master key.
The stolen bus was recovered and its owner identified.
The suspect was arraigned before a competent court on Thursday, and remanded in a correctional centre pending further proceedings.
In a separate operation carried out on January 31, 2026, at about 6:00 p.m., operatives of the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad arrested 36-year-old Ugwuanyi Samuel, also known as “Sammyblack.”
Police described him as a member of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity.
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He was found in possession of a red Toyota Camry (Spider) bearing a National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) plate number.
Investigations revealed that the vehicle belonged to a female victim from Ogbunike, Anambra State.
It was reportedly snatched in June 2022 after her son was abducted at gunpoint while driving the car.
The victim was later released after a ransom of ₦500,000 was paid, while the vehicle was carted away and subsequently repainted.
Earlier, on January 24, 2026, at about 9:00 a.m., operatives of the same Tactical Squad, acting on credible intelligence, stormed New Garriki in Awkunanaw, Enugu, and arrested two other suspects — 27-year-old Chinonso Onyibe John, alias “Flexing,” and 41-year-old Nwankwor Uchenna Samuel, described as an ex-convict.
During the operation, a red Toyota Matrix with registration number AAH 785 AE was recovered.
The suspects reportedly confessed to snatching the vehicle at gunpoint in Awka, Anambra State, on January 23, 2026. They also allegedly admitted involvement in other operations involving a Lexus RX 350 and a Toyota Highlander.
Police said investigations were ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicates.
The remaining suspects and exhibits, according to the Command, will be handed over to the Anambra State Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.
The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, reaffirmed the Command's commitment to combating crime across the state.
He urged residents to provide credible information to security agencies and to adopt basic vehicle security measures to prevent theft.
