… As COAS charges soldiers to eliminate bandits, kidnappers, take their weapons***
The Kwara Police Command has rescued seven workers of Lafrcdeen Pure Water Factory, who were kidnapped by gunmen on Nov. 19, in Sosoki village, via Alapa.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Ajayi Okasanmi, on Sunday in Ilorin.
Okasanmi said that the gunmen stormed the factory and abducted seven out of eight workers including the owner of the factory, Mrs Fatimah Nurudeen.
“In a similar fashion, information was received by the police in Okeonigbin Divisional headquarters about the abduction of one Olujala Adegboja, 56, on his way back from his farm in Olla by six armed men and was led into the bush by the kidnappers.
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“On receipt of the information, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Tuesday Assayomo, immediately deployed the command’s Tactical Teams with the local hunters and vigilante to the area to rescue the victims and arrest the hoodlums.
“The efforts, however, resulted in the rescue of seven out of the eight abducted workers, the command is getting close to rescuing the remaining victim and possible arrest of the kidnappers.
“The command assured the general public that the efforts of combined team of policemen, vigilantes and hunters are still ongoing to liberate the victims,” he said.
He advised the public to always be conscious of whom they share vital information about their movements with and to be security conscious at all times especially at this period when the year is running to an end.
Okasanmi added that everybody including the good and the bad ones would want to celebrate Christmas and New Year with pockets filled with money, even as they have no explainable means of livelihood.
The PPRO said the command would not relent in its commitment in ensuring that the good people of Kwara slept with their two eyes closed at night.
He also said that the command would ensure the peace and safety of the people before, during and after the Yuletide.
In the meantime, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya, on Sunday in Minna charged troops to eliminate suspected bandits and kidnappers and take their weapons.
Yahaya made the call during an operational visit where he inaugurated some facilities for the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Headquarters, Nigerian Army.
“I am here in Minna today as part of my operational visits across the country to ginger our soldiers for the good job they are doing.
“I urge them to continue and to be more resolute and decisive in dealing with the criminals.
“When we engage criminals such as bandits and kidnappers, we are not looking for prisoners of war but to kill them and take their weapons.
“That is what we will continue to do until we stamp them out,’’ he said.
Gen. Yahaya said that some areas of challenges that were highlighted by the Commanders would be taken care of by the military authority.
“The essence of the visit is to interact with the soldiers and identify some areas of concern, address them and ginger the officers and soldiers to do more,’’ he stressed.
The COAS reiterated that the army was doing its best with other security agencies to tackle insecurity across the country.
“We are addressing security challenges in collaboration with other security agencies and stakeholders.
“It is not easy to tackle security challenges but I must tell you that we are doing our best,’’ he said.
He noted that many of the criminals lived in the midst of responsible members of the public, hence the need to provide useful information to security agencies to tackle insecurity.
“There is the need for the public to give accurate and useful information to the security agencies to tackle insecurity.
“If we take security as everybody’s business, we will have more synergy and improve on what we are doing,’’ he said.
The newsmen report that the COAS inaugurated TRADOC officers’ transit accommodation and arms store for TRADOC, and a nursery and primary school for the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association.
The COAS will also inaugurate a Doctrinal Development Conference for TRADOC in Minna on Monday.
The conference has “Capacity Building of the Nigerian Army in Doctrinal Development for Effective Training Operations in a Joint Environment“ as its theme.
