The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old suspected kidnapper allegedly linked to a 2023 kidnapping incident that resulted in the death of a victim.

The suspect, identified as Olisa Oyelu, also known as “Obele”, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday by operatives attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the arrest followed sustained intelligence gathering and investigation into the incident.

Ikenga said Oyelu was allegedly an active member of a kidnapping and armed robbery gang led by a suspected criminal known as “Pincode”.

He said the police had commenced extensive investigations after the 2023 incident to identify, arrest and prosecute all persons connected with the crime.

According to the command, Oyelu was the last identified member of the gang yet to be arrested.

Ikenga said the suspect would be handed over to the correctional centre where Pincode and four other alleged gang members are already being remanded pending the outcome of their trial.

The command said the latest arrest represented further progress in the investigation and reaffirmed its commitment to bringing all persons found to have participated in the crime before the law.

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra, CP Nnanna Ama, commended the investigating officers for their persistence and intelligence-led approach.

Ama urged residents to continue providing the police with credible and timely information, stressing that security remained a shared responsibility.