The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has deployed the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7, Abuja, AIG Victor Olaiya, and a tactical team to Niger State to support efforts to rescue residents abducted in recent attacks in Borgu Local Government Area.
Disu disclosed this during a visit to the Niger State Police Command, where he met senior police officers at the police headquarters in Minna following the mass abduction. The visit came shortly after the IGP met with the state governor, Mohammed Umar Bago. He was also received by the Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba.
The IGP said the rescue operation was not the responsibility of the police alone, noting that the Nigerian Army, intelligence agencies and other security agencies were working together to ensure the victims were safely rescued.
“The Nigeria Police Force is contributing everything it can, and the sister agencies have come together — the intelligence agencies, the Nigerian Army — and we are working together to ensure that we bring them out safely from wherever they are,” he said.
Disu explained that he was satisfied with the progress made so far but noted that some measures being taken could not be disclosed publicly because of their operational sensitivity.
According to him, the morale of the officers remained high despite the demanding conditions under which they were operating, adding that his visit was to assure them of the support of the police hierarchy.
“The eyes of Nigerians are on the police to do the needful, and I didn’t come for a ceremony, but I came with a strong message of support for the officers and men of the command who work under demanding conditions,” Disu stated.
Earlier, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman thanked the IGP for the intervention, particularly the deployment of AIG Olaiya and a tactical team to support the command in responding to the security situation.
Elleman said the tactical team would proceed to Borgu upon arrival in the state to join the ongoing operation, adding that the deployment would strengthen efforts to rescue the abducted residents and secure affected communities.
The commissioner said the command was working to establish the exact number of people abducted during the attacks, even as security agencies continued efforts to locate and rescue the victims.
According to him, the police had arrested a number of suspected bandits and informants as part of efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating in the area.
Elleman, however, called for the deployment of more personnel, armoured vehicles, surveillance equipment and protective gear to enhance the capacity of security personnel to protect communities.
He said the additional support would strengthen security operations and help rebuild residents’ confidence in affected communities.
Speaking on the wider security situation, Disu said the police had been deployed across the country and were confronting armed groups despite losing officers in the line of duty, including 10 officers recently killed while repelling bandits in Kebbi, as well as others lost in Zamfara and Yobe.