BAYELSA POLICE RESCUE WOMAN AFTER WEEKS IN KIDNAPPERS' DEN

Read Time:4 Minute, 0 Second

HOTJIST NEWS

The Bayelsa State Police Command has saved a 42-year–old woman named Esther Chinedu, who was taken against her will in Amassoma, which is in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state. She was held captive for almost a month before being rescued.

Esther was kidnapped on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, when people who were believed to be kidnappers suddenly attacked her phone shop, pretending they wanted to buy something.

The Commissioner of Police for Bayelsa State, CP Ajao Adewale, shared this information on Sunday morning during a press briefing about the successful rescue.
He said the woman was found safe and unharmed in a hiding place used by the kidnappers in Ogumbri Forest, which is in the South-Dajo area.

Adewale explained that the police received a call for help around 7 pm on the day of the kidnapping and quickly started using their intelligence network to find the people responsible.

He added that information gathered from both digital and local sources helped track the movement of the kidnappers and their talks with Esther’s family about the ransom.

At first, the kidnappers asked for N100 million, but they later lowered the amount to N20 million.

The CP said that officers from the Crime Response Squad, led by CSP Chris Mark, moved into Ogumbri Forest five days before the final rescue operation and started getting closer to the suspects.

He said intelligence gathering, including digital and local sources, eventually provided clues on the movements of the kidnappers and their ransom negotiations with the victim’s family.

According to him, the kidnappers initially demanded N100m but later reduced the ransom to N20m.

The CP said operatives of the command’s Crime Response Squad, led by CSP Chris Mark, relocated to Ogumbri Forest five days before the final operation and began closing in on the suspects.

He said the operatives stormed the kidnappers’ camp at about 1:45 a.m., rescuing the victim and arresting one of the suspected kidnappers.

The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Mark from Akemfa 1 community, was arrested during the operation.

The CP said the suspect had confessed to his involvement in the abduction and explained how the gang allegedly carried out the operation.

According to Adewale, the suspects approached the woman’s shop under the pretext of buying food before taking advantage of the situation to abduct her.

“They surveyed the environment and saw that the woman was not sufficiently protected. They abducted her, put her in a vehicle and moved her to the riverside, where she was ferried to the camp,” he said.

The police commissioner said the rescue operation involved personnel from the Crime Response Squad, the Federal Criminal Investigation Unit and the Marine Department.

He commended the officers and men who participated in the operation, particularly those who endured difficult conditions on the river while tracking the kidnappers.

He also appreciated the Bayelsa State Government, led by Governor Douye Diri, for providing logistical support for the operation.

Adewale warned criminals operating in the state that the command would continue to hunt them down.

Husband recounts ordeal

The victim’s husband, who spoke after the rescue, recounted the difficult period he went through while negotiating with the kidnappers for his wife’s release.

He said he travelled to Abia State early on July 28 to purchase mattresses and began receiving strange calls after 8 a.m., informing him that his wife had been kidnapped.

“I have been in Bayelsa for the past 20 years. I have not had anything kidnapping in Amassoma. Why is it my wife?” he recalled asking himself when he first received the information.

The husband said he later contacted one of the callers, who confirmed that his wife had been abducted.

He said the Divisional Police Officer also contacted him and informed him that two patrol teams had been deployed to his residence along Amassoma Road.

According to him, while returning to Bayelsa, he received a call from his wife’s phone demanding N2m, with instructions to transfer N1m each into two different accounts.

He said he only had N300,000 in his account and transferred the money to one of the accounts supplied by the kidnappers.

However, after he arrived in Amassoma, the kidnappers called again and instructed him not to pay into the previous account.

He said one of the suspects then took over the phone and increased the ransom demand to N100m.

The husband said the kidnappers later reduced the demand to N20m after he pleaded with them, explaining that he did not have the money.

He said the negotiations continued for days, during which the kidnappers subsequently demanded N3m.

According to him, he eventually managed to raise another N1.5m, which he transferred to an account provided by the kidnappers.