Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Operation Puff Adder of the Bayelsa State Police Command has rescued Madam Beauty Nimizuoa, the 80-year-old mother of the Yenagoa Local Government chairman, the police have reported.
Madam Nimizuoa was kidnapped from her residence at Agudama-Ekpetiama on March 5 and whisked off to an unknown destination after her abductors abandoned their vehicle and escaped into the creeks with speed boats.
They had demanded a N70 ransom from her son, Uroupaye Nimizuoa, a few days after the kidnap.
According to investigations following a tip-off, the operatives of ‘Puff Adder; stumbled upon a major lead into one of the numerous kidnappers’ dens located between the Ekeni-Ezetu axis of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
Our correspondent gathered that armed with the information they obtained from the kidnappers’ camp in Bayelsa, ‘Puff Adder’ operatives eventually rescued her following a shoot-out during the raid of kidnappers’ hideout in Ughelli, Warri and Ezetu areas of Delta and Bayelsa, aided by phone-tracking.
The operatives the ‘Puff Adder’, who were coordinated under the command of the DSP Chris Nwaogbo, have also identified the kidnap mastermind and are on his trail with the arrest of one his key associates in Delta State.
The identified mastermind had escaped arrest twice and has sustained a severe gunshot wound in the shootout with policemen.
It was gathered that the mastermind of the kidnap gang, identified as John, is believed to be a graduate of Abia State University. He is also said to be known with his operational mobile line as Frank Philips.