Suspected kidnapping syndicate commander arrested in Enugu as Army recovers rifles
The Nigerian Army has arrested a suspected commander of a kidnapping syndicate in Enugu State and recovered four AK-47 rifles, seven magazines and 133 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition from a forest hideout.
Troops of the 82 Division/Joint Task Force South East, Operation UDO KA, carried out the operation in collaboration with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), following intelligence gathered during efforts to dismantle a criminal syndicate linked to the abduction of two persons in Udi Local Government Area on August 2, 2026.
According to the Army, the operation followed an earlier encounter in which troops neutralised one member of the syndicate and arrested another. Information obtained from the arrested suspect reportedly helped security operatives identify the fleeing commander and locate the group’s concealed weapons.
The troops subsequently intensified the manhunt and intercepted the suspected commander while he was allegedly attempting to flee Enugu State. Preliminary investigations indicated that he was linked to several kidnapping operations across the South-East and North-Central regions.
Items recovered from the suspect included $1,000, N785,900 in cash and other materials described by the Army as incriminating. Further intelligence obtained during the operation led troops to Umuchingu Ujenike Forest, where the syndicate was believed to have concealed its weapons.
The Army said the troops recovered four AK-47 rifles, seven AK-47 magazines and 133 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition from the forest hideout.
The Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Lt.-Col. Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni, said the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence-led joint operations in disrupting criminal networks and denying them access to weapons and safe havens.
Ayeni said the arrested suspect was undergoing further interrogation to assist security agencies in tracking down other members of the syndicate and their collaborators. He added that Operation UDO KA would sustain intelligence-led operations against criminal elements across the South-East.
