The Bayelsa State Police Command has rescued a 42-year-old woman, Esther Chinedu, nearly one month after she was abducted from her phone shop in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
Chinedu was reportedly kidnapped on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, after suspected kidnappers entered her shop under the guise of wanting to buy an item before allegedly abducting her at gunpoint.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, disclosed the rescue on Sunday while briefing journalists on the operation, saying the victim was found alive and unhurt at a hideout in Ogumbri Forest, South-Dajo area.
Adewale said the command received a distress call about the abduction around 7pm on the day of the incident and immediately deployed its intelligence network to track the suspects.
He explained that information gathered through digital and local intelligence enabled the police to trace the kidnappers’ movements and monitor ransom negotiations with the victim’s family.
According to the CP, the gang initially demanded N100m but later reduced the ransom to N20m.
He said operatives of the command’s Crime Response Squad, led by CSP Chris Mark, moved into the Ogumbri Forest five days before the final operation and began tightening the net around the kidnappers.
Adewale said the operatives eventually stormed the camp at about 1:45am, rescued Chinedu and arrested one of the suspected abductors.
The arrested suspect was identified as 33-year-old Mark, a resident of Akemfa 1 community.
The police commissioner said the suspect had confessed to participating in the abduction and provided information about how the gang allegedly planned and executed the operation.
He said the suspects had first observed the victim’s shop before approaching her under the pretence of purchasing an item.
“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,” Adewale said.
He disclosed that personnel from the Crime Response Squad, the Federal Criminal Investigation Unit and the Marine Department participated in the rescue operation.
The CP commended the officers involved, particularly those who endured the difficult terrain and waterways while tracking the suspects.
He also acknowledged the support of the Bayelsa State Government under Governor Douye Diri, saying the logistical assistance provided was crucial to the operation.
Adewale warned criminal elements operating in the state that the police would continue to pursue them and urged residents to provide timely information that could assist security agencies.
Recounting his ordeal, Chinedu’s husband said he was in Abia State to purchase mattresses on the day his wife was abducted when he began receiving calls informing him of the incident.
He said he initially struggled to believe the information before contacting one of the callers, who confirmed that his wife was in the hands of kidnappers.
According to him, the police Divisional Police Officer later contacted him and informed him that patrol teams had been deployed to his residence along Amassoma Road.
The husband said negotiations with the abductors continued for days, with the gang eventually demanding N3m.
He said he was able to raise N1.5m and transferred the money to an account provided by the kidnappers, bringing the total amount paid to about N1.8m.
Despite the payment, he said the gang continued to make further demands, including another N3.5m.
The prolonged ordeal, he added, caused considerable tension within both families as relatives became increasingly anxious about the victim’s safety.
The husband said he was eventually informed that the police had rescued his wife.
“When they called me and said, ‘Come around and hand over your wife to me,’ that was when I knew the police had carried out their mission,” he recalled.
He said the experience was particularly painful for their children, whom he had to keep away from home for their safety.
He added that his young son repeatedly asked about his mother, leaving him struggling to explain her prolonged absence.
The rescued woman, while recounting her ordeal, said the kidnappers initially approached her shop pretending to be customers before bringing out their guns.
“They said they wanted to buy something from my shop. Then, as I entered, that was when they brought out the gun and carried me,” she said.
Chinedu said the abductors left her daughter and another woman who was at the shop before taking her away.
She explained that she was transported through several boats before arriving at the forest camp, whose exact location she could not identify.
Describing the conditions in captivity as terrible, the woman said she spent almost a month in the kidnappers’ custody.
She said the abductors provided her with food but that she sometimes refused to eat because of the emotional trauma she was experiencing.
Chinedu said she was not sexually assaulted and was not subjected to severe physical abuse, although one of the kidnappers allegedly hit her on one occasion while she was praying.
She confirmed that the kidnappers initially demanded N100m before reducing their demand to N20m.
The woman expressed gratitude to the police and God for her rescue.
“I give glory to Almighty God and to you people that rescued me,” she said.
She also prayed for the officers who participated in the operation, asking God to protect, strengthen and provide for them.
The police command said the successful rescue was part of its renewed efforts to dismantle kidnapping networks and other criminal groups operating across Bayelsa State.
Adewale assured residents that the command would continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to strengthen security and make the state increasingly hostile to criminals.
He also urged residents to provide useful information to the police and called on youths to embrace legitimate economic opportunities rather than engage in criminal activities.