Four dare-devil kidnappers have been arrested through a joint security operation by the officers and men of the Nigerian Police and a private security outfit engaged by the Kogi State Government to ensure security in the Ajaokuta area of the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this on Tuesday in Lokoja, the state capital.
He said, “The kidnappers were alleged to have been terrorising the Ajaokuta area of the state for a while, commiting so many crimes including kidnapping, rapping and robbery. This prompted the state government to hire a private security outfit, Base SAN Security Nigeria Ltd, to collaborate with the police to ensure the arrest of the kidnappers.
“The kidnappers ran out of luck as they were apprehended by police officers working with the private security outfit.
“The arrest of the four kidnappers led to the rescue of 10 victims who were kidnapped by the gang in some parts of Kogi East,” he said
The commissioner said the arrested kidnappers were cooperating with investigators and that the rescued victims would be reunited with their families.
He said, “We can confirm that the efforts of the Ododo administration in engaging duly registered security outfits to work with conventional security agencies are already paying off. One of the engaged security outfits, Base SAN Security Nigeria Ltd, has successfully worked with the police to help apprehend some kidnappers who had been terrorising people in Ajaokuta and travellers along that road to other parts of the state.
“They acted on a credible intelligence and confronted the kidnappers numbering about four. The kidnappers were overpowered and arrested, leading to the rescue of 10 victims in their custody.”
Fanwo added that the state government was prepared to make Kogi State the safest in Nigeria.
“Governor Ahmed Ododo has promised to spare nothing to ensure that Kogi remains a safe place for everyone. We are too central to Nigeria to fail this country. The governor is deploying every resource at his disposal to ensure the state is rid of criminal elements.
“The Ajaokuta breakthrough is a warning signal to criminals around the state that the present administration is prepared to make Kogi a safe place for all”, he said.
He thanked the Kogi State Police Command and Base SAN Security Nigeria Ltd for rising to the occasion to apprehend the gang terrorising the Ajaokuta area of the state.
‘The state government will continue to support security agencies in carrying out their duties of ensuring security of lives and prope,” he added.
