Anambra: Police detain suspected kidnapper, cultist, after ₦1m ransom payment

The Anambra Police Command says it has detained a man allegedly involved in cultism and kidnapping in Isuaniocha, Awka North LGA of the state.

The command’s spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued in Awka and made available to newsmen on Wednesday.

Ikenga stated: “Operatives of the command, attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Awkuzu, in the early hours of Feb. 17, caught one Ifeanyi Ekemezie, male, 32, at Isuaniocha.

“The detention is in continuation of an ongoing investigation, involving conspiracy, cultism, armed robbery, and kidnapping in Awka and its environs.”

He explained that the incident had earlier led to the detention of Ndubuisi Anyakaku, male, 33, on Feb. 13.

According to him, Anyakaku’s bank account was allegedly used to receive a ₦1 million ransom from a kidnap victim in Awka.

Ikenga also stated that the victim was reportedly attacked, robbed and kidnapped at his residence in Amansea on Dec. 31, 2025.

He further stated that during the attack, the victim’s Toyota Highlander Jeep was stolen and ₦3 million was transferred from his bank account.

He also stated that the victim was shot in the leg and later abandoned at an unknown location before he was subsequently rescued.

Ikenga said that during interrogation,  Ekemezie confessed to being a member of a three-member criminal gang that specialised in kidnapping and car snatching within Awka and its environs.

He further admitted to being a member of the notorious Vikings Confraternity and participating in different cult-related killings in Awka.

He said that the command had intensified efforts to bring other members of the gang, currently at large, to book, and also recover their weapons.

Vanguard News

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