NIGER ABDUCTION: IGP DEPLOYS RESCUE TEAM, AS TERRAIN HAMPERS OPERATION

The Hunt for the Abducted

The search for the victims of the horrific mass abduction in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State is intensifying.

Following President Bola Tinubu’s order, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has deployed a rescue team to Niger State.

ValidViewNetwork learnt that the team is headed by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG Victor Olaiya. It comprises the state tactical team, the counter-terrorism squad, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the military.

But the operation is proving incredibly difficult.

The Niger State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, explained that the terrain around Dakera is challenging.

“That is why ascertaining the number of those abducted has been difficult. We must interact with the villagers to get the exact figures in order not to give contradictory figures,” he said.

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A Delicate Operation

The police are still working with locals to determine the number of people abducted and those who lost their lives.

Reports indicate that as many as 600 people, predominantly women, children and elderly Nigerians may have been taken.

Local officials have also reported that about 30 people may have been killed in the attacks.

Abiodun debunked claims that there was no police presence in the affected communities, saying clearance operations have been intensified.

“The people are to move out for the clearance operation. You know people are attached to their homes, but it is very dangerous to allow them to remain around during such clearance operations,” he added.

SP Abiodun appealed to Nigerians for patience. “Rescue operations are delicate; in saving lives, we should not lose lives,” he said.

The Coordinator of the newly established Niger State Security Situation Room, Barrister Maurice Justin Magaji, said the government had provided all the logistics needed for the rescue team’s operation. He reiterated that the government was determined to rescue all the victims.

ValidViewNetwork understands that President Tinubu has directed the Service Chiefs to give him regular briefings on the progress of the rescue operation until all those abducted are accounted for.