Police gun down kidnapper, rescue victim in Kogi

By Richard Elesho

The Kogi State Police Command has neutralised a suspected kidnapper, rescued an abducted victim and recovered an Italian-made pump-action gun during a joint security operation in Ijumu Local Government Area of the state.

The latest operation came less than 24 hours after the command rescued four kidnapped victims in Dekina Local Government Area, underscoring intensified efforts to tackle kidnapping and violent crimes across the state.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, said the operation followed the abduction of Abubakar Kabiru, a resident of Nila Forest Camp in Ayegunle Gbede, by armed kidnappers in the early hours of the day.

According to the police, upon receiving a distress report, the Divisional Police Officer of Ayetoro Gbede Division swiftly mobilised a joint team comprising police operatives, personnel of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), officers on special duty and local vigilantes to comb the Olle-Bunu Forest, where the kidnappers had fled with their victim.

The security team engaged the abductors in a fierce gun battle, during which one of the suspected kidnappers was fatally shot, forcing the remaining gang members to flee into the forest and abandon their captive.

The rescued victim, who sustained a gunshot injury during the incident, was immediately taken for medical treatment and is currently receiving care.

Police said operatives recovered the corpse of the neutralised suspect alongside an Italian-made pump-action gun bearing breach number 5882. The suspect’s body has been deposited at the General Hospital Mortuary in Ayetoro Gbede, while the firearm has been taken into police custody as an exhibit.

Commending the bravery of the operatives and local vigilantes involved in the operation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to leveraging community policing and intelligence-led operations to safeguard lives and property across Kogi State.

He assured residents that efforts were ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects, dismantle the criminal network and bring all those involved to justice.

The police commissioner also appealed to members of the public to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information to strengthen the fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes in the state.