Cyril Mbah, Abuja.
A collaborative effort between security personnel and a vigilante group in Kogi state has led to the killing of eleven bandits and deadly kidnappers terrorising various communities within Koton Karfe near Lokoja and Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
An operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Inspector Abdullahi Saidu, allegedly working in collaboration with the criminals by supplying operational weapons to them was also arrested while several kidnap victims were released from the kidnappers den.
Onogwu Muhammed, chief press secretary (CPS) to Kogi state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, disclosed in a statement in Lokoja. He said that the security operatives nabbed the suspect NSCDC officer with his friend who usually collaborate to supply weapons to the criminals.
Muhammed disclosed also that the NSCDC officer assisted the criminals with sensitive security information that helped them evade arrest while carrying out their criminal acts.
According to the statement, “A group of bandits terrorising some parts of Koton Karfe local government area of Kogi state and Abaji in the FCT, have met their waterloo as officers of Kogi State Vigilante Group killed 11 of them, arrested others while three kidnapped victims were rescued successfully.
“The successful operation by the security operatives was done in series. The Kogi state vigilante operatives disclosed that Alaidi, the ring leader of the group, was killed at the first camp attacked along with other members of the bandit group, especially Rabo and seven others.
“Madei and one other were killed in the second kidnappers’ camp while Umar escaped with gunshot injury but was later recaptured.
“Five of the kidnappers arrested, including the Civil Defence operative, are in the custody of the Department of State Security (DSS) for further investigations,” the statement said.
Muhammed also commended the cooperation by citizens of the state and the synergy between the security operatives as reasons for the successes.
He stated that the continued efforts of the state government to keep the momentum of flushing criminals out of Kogi state would be sustained, adding that, so far, the effort had been yielding good results.
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