Police Zone 5 Rescues 19 Kidnap Victims

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

A total of 19 kidnap victims were rescued by the Zone 5 Command of the Nigeria Police between August and September this year.

The Zone which covers Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states, also arrested seven suspected kidnappers, 68 suspected armed robbers while 11 were killed in the period under review.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Zone, Mr. Musa Daura who disclosed this Monday in Benin while briefing journalists on the achievements of the Zone, said five Police/Military riffles, 38 locally made guns, 149 Police/Military Ammunitions, 142 Cartridges, 32 stolen vehicles and five stolen motorcycles were also recovered.

Besides, he said 14 cultists, four suspected sea pirates, five murder suspects, two pipeline vandals and two PHCN equipment vandals were arrested and one kidnap incident was foiled.

Daura explained that the achievements were made possible due to emphasis the Zone put on intelligence gathering and other proactive measures it adopted, including constant raiding of criminal hide-outs, intensive visibility patrol, synergy and collaboration with sister security agencies in intelligence sharing, stop and search and prompt response to distress calls.

“The Command wants to reassure the residents within the zone that the war on crime and criminality within the ember months will be intensified”, Daura said and described the achievements as “significant.”

He thanked the media for their support and appealed to the people of Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states to continue to support the police and provide useful information to the police.