Okene-Auchi Road Kidnapping: Police Intensify Search as Forest Hideouts Destroyed

The Kogi State Police Command has intensified search and rescue operations following a reported kidnapping incident along the Okene-Auchi Road, deploying police and military personnel to forest areas suspected to be hideouts of the perpetrators.

The Command’s spokesperson, ASP Salisu Afusat, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying security forces had commenced intelligence-driven bush-combing operations across identified forest corridors within the Okene-Ajokuta axis.

She said the operation was particularly focused on Ebiya Forest and adjoining areas believed to be linked to the incident.

Personnel from the Area Command, Okene; 77 Police Mobile Force Squadron; Okene and Adavi divisions; the Anti-Kidnapping Unit; Violent Crime Response Unit; and detachments of the Nigerian Army from Forward Operating Bases in the area are participating in the operation.

The Edo State Police Command has also provided operational support through its Anti-Kidnapping Unit and other tactical personnel.

Afusat said joint operations had been strengthened along the Kogi-Edo border to prevent the suspects from escaping, with security personnel conducting coordinated clearance operations and intelligence-led patrols.

During the search, security teams identified and searched suspected criminal hideouts in the forest.

Recovered items included foodstuffs and cooking ingredients, an Army-pattern jungle hat and a National Identity Card, among other articles suspected to have been abandoned by the criminal elements.

The police said the identified hideouts were subsequently destroyed and set ablaze to prevent them from being reused by the perpetrators.

Although no kidnapped victim was recovered during the initial search, Afusat said security forces had continued advancing into the forest and adjoining areas in an effort to locate and rescue the victims and apprehend those responsible.

She said the operation continued on Saturday, August 8, with tactical teams advancing towards identified locations of interest along the Ajaokuta and Adoko axes.

Drones deployed by the Nigerian Army and Edo State Police Command are also being used to improve aerial surveillance and intelligence gathering during the operation.

The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Kankarofi, directed the teams to sustain the search until the victims are safely recovered and the perpetrators brought to justice.

He urged residents, particularly those living around the affected areas, to remain calm and vigilant and provide security agencies with timely and credible information.

The Command said the safety and recovery of the victims remain its immediate priority.