Police rescue kidnapped village head in Katsina

The Katsina State police command has announced the rescue of two kidnapped victims, including a village head and 18 rustled cattle. Command spokesman, SP Gambo Isah, told newsmen that the rescue effort was spearheaded by a divisional police officer under ‘’Operation Puff Arder.’’

He said: “On June 20, at about 10. 30p.m, the DPO of Batsari police division, led operatives of Operation Puff Adder and Operation Sharan Daji to Salihawar Dan-Alhaji village, Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina, based on the report that bandits numbering about 18 had attacked the village, kidnapped two females and rustled cows [cattle].

“The teams chased the hoodlums into the forest and engaged them in a gun duel. The team succeeded and rescued one Laure Alhaji Amadu, 55, of the same address and recovered 18 cows and 10 rams. Search parties are still combing the area with a view to rescuing the other kidnapped victim. Investigation is ongoing.”

Isah also revealed that on June 23, at about 10:30 p.m., bandits numbering 10 attacked Barkiya village, Kurfi area of Katsina and kidnapped the village head, one 72-year-old Alhaji Magaji Ibrahim Barkiya.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, AIG Ahmed Iliyasu, has inaugurated three different Community Policing Committees across the Area Commands, LGAs and LCDCs and Divisions in Lagos State. The exercise took place simultaneously across in the 14 Area Commands.

The AIG, who represented the IGP, was supported by the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Hakeem Odumosu, and Deputy Commissioners of Police from Zone 2 Headquarters and Lagos State Command.

The Committees inaugurated are Area Command Community Policing Advisory committees, Local Government Advisory committees and Divisional Community Policing Committees.

It would be recalled that the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had earlier inaugurated the State Community Policing Advisory Committee and State Community Policing Committee.

The Committees are responsible for driving the community policing policies and strategies approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria and championed by the Nigeria Police under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu Abubakar.

Community policing is both a philosophy and an organisational strategy that allows the Police and the Community to work closely together in creative ways to solve the problems of crime, illicit drugs, fear of crime and social disorder. It is a partnership between the Police and Members of the Community to fight crime and criminalities and other social issues/disorder within the community, which will eventually improve the quality of life for everyone in that community.