No fewer than 24 kidnapped victims have been rescued by the operatives of the Kogi State Police Command in collaboration with the military and local vigilantes within the Adogo axis in the Ajaokuta Local Government Area of the state.
According to SP William Aya, the state police command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in a statement on Saturday night, the victims were kidnapped on Friday.
The PPRO stated that the rescued victims included 11 students and three teachers, adding that efforts were ongoing to arrest the fleeing members of the gang.
The statement reads, “On Saturday, 30/12/2023, the Commissioner of Police Kogi State Police Command, CP Bethrand C. Onuoha, deployed an additional Tactical Squad consisting of the Quick Response Unit to the area to join the team led by SP Sule Musa, Divisional Police Officer.
“As the team were combing the bush, the hoodlums sighted them from their hideout and opened fire at the team. During a gun duel that ensued, and owing to the superior firepower of the team, the hoodlums were forced to flee and abandoned their victims”, the statement read.
CP Onuoha, who commended the team’s efforts, enjoined law-abiding citizens of the state to continue collaborating with the police and other security agencies by volunteering timely and credible information on the activities of criminal elements in the state.