By Blessing Fali
The Bayelsa State Police Command has rescued a 42-year-old woman, Esther Chinedu, who spent nearly one month in the custody of suspected kidnappers after she was abducted in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
Chinedu was reportedly kidnapped on July 28, 2026, after the suspects entered her phone shop pretending to be customers. They allegedly brought out guns and forced her into a vehicle before taking her through the waterways to a hideout in Ogumbri Forest, South-Dajo.
The Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa, CP Ajao Adewale, said the command received a distress call shortly after the abduction and immediately began tracking the suspects through intelligence gathering and other investigative methods.
According to the commissioner, the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N100 million from the victim’s family before reducing it to N20 million. The family reportedly paid about N1.8 million at different stages, but the kidnappers continued to demand more money.
Police operatives from the Crime Response Squad, Federal Criminal Investigation Unit and Marine Department eventually moved into the forest after gathering information on the gang’s location.
At about 1:45 a.m., the operatives stormed the kidnappers’ camp, rescued the woman unharmed and arrested a 33-year-old suspected member of the gang identified as Mark from Akemfa 1 community.
The police said the suspect confessed to participating in the abduction and provided information about how the gang allegedly carried out the operation.
The rescued woman later described the place where she was held as extremely difficult and said she had spent almost a month in captivity.
Her husband, meanwhile, recounted the emotional and financial difficulties he faced while negotiating with the kidnappers. He said the incident also forced him to keep their children away from home for their safety.
The Bayelsa Police Command commended the officers involved in the operation and assured residents that it would continue to intensify efforts to dismantle kidnapping networks across the state.
The command also urged residents to provide useful information to security agencies to help prevent criminal activities and protect communities.
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