Kogi Police Intensify Search For Kidnap Victims, Destroy Criminal Hideouts

The Kogi State Police Command has intensified search and rescue operations following a kidnapping incident along the Okene–Auchi Road, deploying combined police and military teams to forests suspected to be hideouts of the perpetrators.

The operation, which commenced immediately after the incident, involves personnel from the Area Command, Okene; 77 Police Mobile Force Squadron, Okene; Okene and Adavi Divisions; the 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, while joint security teams have intensified patrols and clearance operations along the Kogi-Edo border to block possible escape routes.

According to a statement issued by the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, security teams have so far searched suspected criminal hideouts within the forest corridors around Ebiya Forest and adjoining areas.

Items recovered from some of the hideouts include foodstuffs and cooking ingredients, an Army-pattern jungle hat and a National Identity Card, among other articles suspected to have been abandoned by the kidnappers.

The police said the hideouts were subsequently destroyed and set ablaze to prevent their continued use by criminal elements.

However, no kidnapped victim was recovered during the initial phase of the operation, even as tactical teams continued their advance into adjoining forest locations.

The search operation continued on Saturday, August 8, with security teams moving towards identified locations of interest around the Ajaokuta and Adoko axes.

The operation is also being supported by technical surveillance, including drones deployed by the Nigerian Army and the Edo State Police Command to enhance aerial monitoring and intelligence gathering.

The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, psc, mni, directed the operational teams to sustain the search until the victims are rescued and the perpetrators apprehended.

He assured the public that the command was working with sister security agencies and relevant stakeholders to ensure that those behind the incident do not escape justice.

The Command appealed to residents, particularly those living around the affected areas, to remain calm and vigilant and provide credible information that could assist the ongoing rescue operation.

Meanwhile ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, also said normalcy has been restored to Abugi and adjoining communities following the recent reprisal killings in the area.

The Area Command, Lokoja, in collaboration with traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders, has commenced engagements aimed at restoring peaceful coexistence and addressing the issues underlying the conflict.

The Command also said a full-scale investigation into the killings had commenced through the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), with efforts underway to identify and apprehend all persons involved in the incident.

It warned that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The police said personnel had remained strategically deployed in the affected communities to prevent further violence and protect lives and property.

The Commissioner of Police urged residents to remain law-abiding and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to the police and other security agencies.