The Abia Police Command has said 38 of its officers to kidnappers in the last few months.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Jonathan Johnson, made this known on Monday in Umuahia, while presenting the arms surrendered by some fleeing kidnappers to the state's governor, Theodore Orji.
Mr. Johnson said 10 officers were injured during the operations, six of them had been discharged from the hospital while the remaining four were still receiving treatment.
The commissioner said that the arms were recovered during the second amnesty programme, which the state government cancelled and that that the programme was yielding results before its cancellation.
Mr. Johnson said the arms were recovered in the kidnappers' camps.
``Some of the arms are 20 AK 47, 12 locally made AK 47, seven assault rifles, one general purpose machine gun, four rocket launchers, 15 pistols and 12 dynamites...
``Others are 23 double-barrelled guns 106 assorted magazines, gas cylinders, tool boxes and one G3riffle,'' he said.
The commissioner thanked the government for empowering the police to combat the crime, stressing that those who died during the operations had paid the supreme price to make Abia free of kidnapping.
Speaking while inspecting the arms, Mr. Orji said the police should compile the names of the dead officers for the state government to compensate their families.
The governor expressed the sympathy with the police command the bereaved families, stressing that Abia is now a safe heaven for investors.
``There was a time when Abia was synonymous with kidnapping. We tried the amnesty option and it failed before inviting the army to come to our aid,'' he said.
Mr. Orji said that the second amnesty programme was partially successful because of the harvest of arms by the committee.
The governor commended the police for their gallantry. ``I know we have efficient police force in the country but they lack adequate fire power to combat crime and criminals.
``You cannot expect a policeman to confront a criminal with a rapid machine gun,'' he remarked.
The governor stressed that his administration would continue to provide the enabling environment for the force.
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