By Sadiq Umar – The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has ordered the immediate deployment of a Joint Police Team to combat incidences of kidnappings on the Abuja-Kaduna highways.
The Abuja-Kaduna highway had been notorious for kidnapping in recent times following incidences of criminal abductions of persons along the highways.
A statement issued by Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Tuesday in Abuja said the IGP Idris ordered the deployment of “Special Police Force, Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Squad, Anti-Kidnapping Units, Intelligence Response Team, Special Tactical Squad, the Force Intelligence Branch, the Police Mobile Force with Headquarters at Rijanah, Kaduna State.
According to the statement, the Joint Police Team are under specific and definite mandate to root out the kidnap for ransom gangs and armed robbery gangs that have being terrorising the Abuja-Kaduna Highway in the recent times.
“The operations is to complement and augment the on-going Joint Police/Military operations on ground before now,” Mr. Idris said.
“To achieve success of the operations Absolute sanity, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations has been mandated to supervise the operation as overall Commander while the Deputy Commissioner of Police, In-Charge of the Police Mobile Force is the Grand Commander of the Operations.
“The Police personnel will be proactive and work on actionable Intelligence at the disposal of the Force and carry out massive deployment and twenty four (24) hours surveillance and patrol, continuous raids of identified and other suspected hideouts of the kidnappers with a view to arresting them promptly before they attack innocent people.
“They will also nip in the bud other violence crimes such as armed robbery, car snatching etc on Abuja-Kaduna.
“Police Helicopters will embark on aerial surveillance and guided missions to assist the operation Absolute Sanity’s personnel on the ground in covering difficult terrains.
“The Inspector General of Police hereby urges members of the public, most especially commuters, travellers, road users and people in the towns and villages along Abuja-Kaduna Highway not to panic on the mass deployment of Police personnel, but to assist and cooperate with the Police personnel in the discharge of their responsibilities,” the statement added.
