The Police Command in Cross River has confirmed the killing of two out of the three kidnappers involved in the abduction of four clerics in August.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Aminu Alhassan, gave the confirmation in Calabar on Sunday.
He said that the two suspects were naturalized by SP Awodi Abdulhameed led Anti Cultism and Kidnapping Squad that carried out a covert operation based on credible intelligence.
According to him, “It is true that we neutralized two kidnap kingpins involved in the kidnap of some pastors who went to Church planting at Creek Town, Odukpani Local Government Area of the state.
” The two couldn’t make it alive, while the third who is now at large, was severely injured during a gun duel.”
The Commissioner appealed to the locals to be on the lookout for anyone with gun wounds in their community.
“Remember we had earlier warned that we will no longer wait for them (criminals) to commit a crime, we shall keep smoking them out from their various camps, hideouts.
“Especially as we have entered Ember months, we want to urge law-abiding citizens to be more vigilant and shouldn’t take security for granted because it’s everybody’s business.
“But as a command, we will keep pressing for the mark, we will keep giving our best,” he stated.
He said that the trio had been terrorising inhabitants of the area for a long until they were burst by the anti-Cultism and Kidnapping Unit.
The four abducted clerics of the Apostolic Church and three others had gone for Church planting when they were abducted.
They were released by their abductors after payment of N10 million ransom.