By Boluwaji Obahopo
Security forces in Kogi State have intensified search and rescue operations following a kidnapping incident along the Okene-Auchi Road, combing suspected criminal hideouts in forests around the Okene-Ajaokuta axis.
The operation, involving the police, Nigerian Army and Edo State Police Command, has also seen the deployment of drones to enhance surveillance and intelligence gathering as security agencies intensify efforts to rescue the victims and apprehend their abductors.
The Kogi State Police Command, in a statement on Sunday by its Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, said the operation was launched immediately after the incident, with intelligence-driven bush-combing operations conducted across identified forest corridors, particularly the Ebiya Forest and adjoining areas.
”The operation involves personnel from the Area Command, Okene; 77 Police Mobile Force Squadron, Okene; Okene and Adavi Divisions; Anti-Kidnapping Unit; Violent Crime Response Unit and detachments of the Nigerian Army operating from Forward Operating Bases in the area.
”The Edo State Police Command has also deployed its Anti-Kidnapping Unit and other tactical personnel to support the operation, particularly along the Kogi-Edo border.
”Security teams have identified and searched suspected criminal hideouts in the forest, recovering foodstuffs and cooking ingredients, an Army-pattern jungle hat, a National Identity Card and other items suspected to have been abandoned by the criminals.
”The suspected hideouts were subsequently destroyed and set ablaze to prevent the criminals from returning to use them.”
The statement, however, said no kidnapped victim was recovered during the initial phase of the operation, stressing that security forces had continued advancing into the forest and adjoining areas in search of the victims.
“Technical support, including the deployment of drones by the Nigerian Army and Edo State Police Command, is also being utilised to enhance surveillance and intelligence gathering during the operation,” the statement said.
The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, psc, mni, directed the operational teams to sustain the search and rescue operation until the victims were safely recovered and the perpetrators apprehended.
He assured residents that the command was working closely with sister security agencies and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the perpetrators did not escape justice.
The command appealed to residents, particularly those living around the affected areas, to remain calm and vigilant and provide security agencies with timely and credible information that could assist the ongoing operation.
..Police restore calm in Abugi
Meanwhile, the police command said it had restored calm to Abugi and adjoining communities following recent reprisal killings in the area.
The command said the Area Command, Lokoja, in collaboration with security and community stakeholders, had engaged traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders in efforts to prevent further escalation and restore peaceful coexistence.
It said the engagements focused on reconciliation and addressing the underlying causes of the conflict, while security personnel remained strategically deployed in the affected communities to protect lives and property.
The command also said the State Criminal Investigation Department had commenced a full-scale investigation into the killings, with efforts underway to identify, trace and arrest persons found to have participated in or contributed to the violence.
It warned that the restoration of peace would not affect the investigation, stressing that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Commissioner of Police urged residents across the state to remain law-abiding and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to the police and other security agencies.
He reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property and maintaining peace across the state.
The post Police, army comb forests for Kogi kidnapped victims, destroy suspected hideouts appeared first on Vanguard News.