- Tinubu has deployed AIG Victor Olaiya to coordinate a rescue operation in Niger State
- Residents were abducted from New Bussa and nearby communities
- Police have deployed specialised units to support the rescue mission
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7, Victor Olaiya, to proceed to Niger State and coordinate efforts to rescue residents abducted in the state.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the the victims were reportedly taken hostage on Friday at a mosque in the Dekkara area of New Bussa Local Government Area, as well as in Massaka, Sabongida and Gidamaza communities.
Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Maurice Magaji, disclosed this on Thursday during a media briefing following the AIG’s arrival in the state.
Magaji said the state government would continue to provide the necessary support to security agencies involved in the operation. He stressed that security forces must first secure the affected communities and make them safe before humanitarian intervention could begin.
The commissioner appealed to residents to view the security situation from a humanitarian perspective rather than through political considerations.
He said the government could not remain indifferent while residents were being killed or abducted, noting that many government officials had personal connections to communities affected by the crisis.
Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, who represented the Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Elleman, said the police were not yet in a position to provide a definitive figure for the number of abducted persons.
Abiodun said releasing an unverified figure could be misleading while security operations were ongoing.
He confirmed that the state government had been assisting security agencies with logistics and other resources needed for the rescue mission.
According to him, the deployment of the AIG was aimed at bringing together police operational resources, command assets and state security resources to strengthen the rescue effort.
He disclosed that additional personnel and specialised units had also been deployed from the police national headquarters, including the Counter-Terrorism Unit, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit and Police Airwing.
The Police Airwing, he said, would conduct aerial surveillance to assist security teams in locating the abducted victims.
Abiodun assured residents that the rescue operation had commenced and that security agencies were working to secure the safe release of those held captive.
