Following a gunfight with suspected kidnappers, members of the Plateau State Police Command on Thursday verified the deaths of two people and freed six others.
It was discovered that the abductors had previously occupied Gwalada village in Bauchi State’s nearby Toro LGA and taken several of the villagers hostage.
After being made aware of the event, a few police officers located the kidnappers’ hiding place in the border community.
Six of the locals who had been abducted were freed by the police, but two people—a vigilante group member and one of the kidnapping suspects—were slain in the ensuing crossfire.
Alabo Alfred, the Plateau State Police Command spokesman, verified the development in a statement on Thursday in Jos.
In an attempt to root out criminal elements in the state, the Plateau State Police Command tracked down a group of well-known kidnappers, forced them out of their den, freed six abducted victims, and shot one kidnapper.
“On 01/11/2023, at about 0600hrs, while acting on a credible intelligence about a horrible kidnap incident that some unidentified suspected kidnappers invaded Gwalada village in Toro LGA of Bauchi State and forcefully kidnapped some residents of the area to a rocky forest in between Tumu,Tsaya and Rumfar Gomna in Bassa LGA, the Divisional Police Officer of Jengre led a combined team of battle-ready police operatives, STF, Security Help Groups to the kidnappers’ camp.
“On sighting the security operatives, the kidnappers engaged them in a fierce gun fight but they were subdued by the superior firepower of the security operatives. However, six victims namely: Rashida Hamisu, Mummi Usman, Ibrahim Isa,Ya’u Yahaya,Bala Aminu and Alhaji Ishaku Usman all of Gwalfada, Toro LGA, Bauchi were rescued from the operation while one of the kidnappers was gunned down and his cohorts fled with various degrees of bullet wounds but sadly, one Nuhu Titus, a hunter who aided the security in the rescue operation lost his life.”
The statement said efforts were being intensified to arrest the fleeing suspects and rescue other kidnap victims.
It added that the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, CP Okoro J. Alawari, assured the residents of the commitment of the police to combat crime and criminality in the state.
“He (CP) vows to do all within his powers to ensure that all the 17 Local Government Areas continue to remain safe for all citizens of the state.
“The CP warns kidnappers to repent from their atrocious activities or leave Plateau State before the police apprehend them,” the statement added.
