• State says no contact with bandits yet

To rescue the worshippers abducted at a mosque in Dekara community of Borgu Local Council Area of Niger State during prayers last Friday, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 7, Victor Olaya, to Niger State.

In the meantime, the Niger State Commissioner for Information, Obed Nuhu, said the government has yet to receive any communication from the terrorists who abducted worshippers at a mosque in Borgu Local Council Area last Friday.

Also, he said the government could not confirm the number of people abducted, with officials still gathering information on the incident to avoid speculation.

Disclosing the police deployment in Minna yesterday, the Niger Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, added that the IGP also deployed the Counter Terrorism Unit, Tactical Teams, Police Air Wing and other tactical bodies to coordinate the rescue operation, in collaboration with other security agencies, assisted by the Niger State Government.

Elleman, who was represented by the command spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, explained that police were equally working to identify the terrorist that abducted the Guwa monarch and to intensify clearance operations in the location.

He added that security agencies were still working with locals and community members to ascertain the total number of victims abducted, with the difficult terrain requiring such collaboration with community members.

Nuhu said during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief yesterday that the attacks occurred at three different locations in the area and were suspected to have been carried out by the Lakurawa and Boko Haram terrorist groups.

Nevertheless, Governor Umaru Bago has directed relevant authorities to work with security agencies for the safe rescue of the abducted persons, and to restore normalcy to the affected communities.

Also, the state government said security agencies must first clear the communities that were recently attacked before humanitarian assistance could be safely delivered to the victims.

The Commissioner for Homeland Security, Maurice Magaji, told newsmen that the government would immediately assess the needs of the affected communities and provide necessary assistance once security forces established control of the areas.