Anambra Police Arrest Female Armed Robbery, Kidnap accomplice — Recover Stolen Vehicle

The Anambra State Police Command, in collaboration with operatives of Agunechemba Security, has arrested a female suspect involved in a case of armed robbery and kidnapping, and recovered a stolen vehicle linked to the crime.

The suspect, identified as Okonkwo Onyinye, aged 23, was apprehended on Tuesday by police operatives attached to the 3-3 Police Station, in conjunction with Agunechemba operatives from the Nkwelle-Ezunaka Unit.

According to a statement issued by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the arrest followed investigations into a reported case of armed robbery and kidnapping in the area.

Ikenga revealed that operatives also recovered a snatched Toyota Highlander SUV, belonging to the victim, during an operation in Ogidi.

Preliminary investigations, he said, showed that the victim was ambushed at Nkwelle GRA Gate by a five-man gang operating in a Toyota Corolla. The armed men reportedly double-crossed the victim’s vehicle, forced him into the boot of his SUV, and drove him to a bushy area in Umuoji Town.

While in captivity, the assailants allegedly dispossessed the victim of his phone and transferred the sum of ₦24 million (Twenty-Four Million Naira) from his bank account before abandoning him and escaping with his vehicle.

“Following the report, the Joint Security Team, acting on technologically-driven intelligence, traced the movement of the suspects to Nawfia and later to Ogidi, where the armed hoodlums engaged operatives in sporadic gunfire before fleeing the scene,” Ikenga stated.

He added that the white Toyota Highlander, with registration number RBC 649 CN, was recovered at the scene. The female accomplice, Okonkwo Onyinye, was arrested thereafter and is currently assisting police detectives with vital information aimed at apprehending the other fleeing members of the gang.

SP Ikenga further noted that the Police Command has intensified security patrols across the state ahead of the Anambra State Governorship Election scheduled for November 8, 2025, assuring that further updates on the case would be communicated as investigations progress.