The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has said it’s operatives from ‘Operation Puff Adder’ have rescued unhurt 27 kidnap victims including five Chinese nationals.
The Chinese citizens who were earlier kidnapped on 15th April 2019 in Bobi, Niger State was said to have been safely and successfully rescued on 5th of May, 2019 from a forest in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State.
In a statement yesterday the spokesman of the Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police Frank Mba said two of the kidnappers died from injuries sustained during the exchange of gunfire with the Police in the course of the rescue mission.
He said twenty-two other kidnap victims were rescued in Zamfara State and other parts of the country, adding that, between January 2019 and the 1st week of May 2019, a total of 270 suspected kidnappers were arrested.
He also said 275 suspected armed robbers were arrested and 105 assorted weapons plus a large cache of ammunition recovered.
Mba also said the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu yesterday, 9th May rolled out new counter-kidnapping operational strategies.
He said the new strategies, which are purposeful and intelligence-driven are targeted at identifying, locating and dismantling kidnapping gangs across the nation and bringing the kidnappers and their collaborators to justice.
He said it is designed to complement and strengthen the ‘Operation Puff Adder’ currently going on in several States of the Federation.
He explained that the operation will involve the deployment of undercover operatives, decoy operations and high-level tactical missions.
He said it would have active participation of operatives drawn from the conventional Police Units, the Force Intelligence Unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS), the Special Anti-kidnapping Squads and the Police Tactical Units comprising the Police Mobile Force (PMF), the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) and the Special Forces.
