Enugu: Police rescue abducted hospital guard, nurse still missing

The Enugu State Police Command has announced that its officers have freed Ituku Ozalla, a security guard at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), who was purportedly kidnapped together with a nurse on Tuesday.

According to accounts, unidentified gunmen thought to be kidnappers raided the hospital on Tuesday and allegedly grabbed a female employee and a security guard.

Allnews.ng discovered an online viral video of an SUV apparently belonging to the abducted woman, which was riddled with gunfire.

Although the hospital remained silent about the occurrence, certain staff members who spoke on the condition of anonymity verified it. 

“This is so sad; we are not safe at all in this hospital; everywhere is porous," bemoaned one of the staff.

DSP Daniel Ndukwe, the State Police Public Relations Officer, stated on Wednesday that police operatives had recovered the security personnel.

According to the report: "Alleged Abduction in UNTH: Enugu Police Operatives Rescue Security Man," Ndukwe stated that the Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, had ordered the escalation of existing operations to rescue the female nurse and apprehend the offenders.

The statement partly read: "The security man, alleged to have been abducted alongside a female nurse by armed hoodlums in the morning hours of March 12, 2024, at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area, has been rescued by Police Operatives.

"He was rescued at Ishi-Ozalla in the same local government area at about 11.45 p.m. on the same date of the incident, following the intense operations immediately launched to rescue the victims and apprehend the assailants.

"Consequently, the Commissioner of Police, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu, psc (+), has ordered the Police Operatives and the complementary teams from the Neighborhood Watch Group, Forest Guards, and Local Vigilantes to ensure that everything is done to rescue the female nurse and arrest the hoodlums.

"Meanwhile, members of the public, particularly residents of the Ituku-Ozalla community and environs, have been enjoined to report any suspected individuals found within their residential areas or in the forest, by calling 08099854883 or emailing infoenugupolice@gmail.com."