A leader in the Anambra State vigilante group and three others have reportedly been arrested for their alleged involvement in kidnapping in the state.

According to sources, four AK-47 rifles, which were said to have buried in the backyard of the vigilante leader, were recovered by the police.

Police sources told The Nation that the suspect had been involved in the abduction of people in his area.

The suspect whose name has not been disclosed was reportedly arrested on Tuesday, along with three members of his gang.

Their arrest by security operatives it was learnt, followed a credible intelligence provided by people in the neighbourhood.

The police operatives led by the head of police tactical squad were said to have stormed his house early on Tuesday morning to catch him unawares.

“Sometimes, he collected as low as N1.5m to N2m to free victims. Those AK-47 rifles were hidden in a thick banana plantation at the back of his house. Our people are being kidnapped almost on a daily basis without knowing that our vigilante leader was behind it,” the source said.

Police spokesman Ikenga Tochukwu said he had not received a report on the arrest, but added that security operatives had been on the trail of criminal elements in the state for some time.