The Police Command in Rivers said on Tuesday that it killed four kidnap suspects in a shootout with the hoodlums during a rescue operation in the state this month.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Usman Belel, who disclosed this to journalists in Port Harcourt, said five kidnap victims had been rescued since the beginning of January.

He said that the command also arrested 93 suspects involved various crimes in the state, including armed robbery, kidnapping and cultism within the period

Belel, who had during his maiden news conference promised that the command would smash crimes in Rivers, said 30 of the suspects were involved in armed robbery.

According to him, six women were arrested in connection with human trafficking and 17 were arrested for kidnapping while 15 were involved in cultism.

The police commissioner said four robbery and three kidnap attempts were foiled during the period under review.
Belel said that two pump action guns, 23 locally made pistols, 23 rounds of ammunition and two magazines were recovered from the suspects.

Others items recovered included two vehicles, one motorbike, assorted mobile telephones, six sets of army uniform, four army boots, navy uniform and N250,000 cash.

He appealed to the public to exercise patience with the command over its investigation of the suspects, adding that thorough police investigation took time to conduct and complete.

The commissioner of police said the suspects would be arraigned after investigation was concluded.

Belel had during his maiden press briefing warned criminals that “their time was up as the state would be made grossly inhabitable for them.”