A joint security team comprising Police operatives, Forest Guards, and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group has intensified efforts to trail armed men alleged to have abducted three persons within the precinct of a church at Inoyi, Affa community, Udi local government area of Enugu state.

The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday.

The operatives, while closing in on the fleeing suspects, forced them to abandon one of the victims, who was immediately rescued unhurt. The assailants, however, escaped with the remaining two victims.

To rescue the remaining victims and apprehend the fleeing assailants, the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has directed the Area Commander, Oji-River, and the head of the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to further intensify ongoing operations and deploy all available operational assets to ensure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and the apprehension of the suspects.

Giwa also directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Intelligence Department (SID) to immediately generate actionable human and technical intelligence in support of the operation, while activating the surveillance and technical capabilities of the Enugu State Command-and-Control Centre to bolster the ongoing rescue efforts.