By Oiza Bello
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has assured residents that those responsible for the abduction of four persons in Dekina Local Government Area will be tracked down, arrested and prosecuted.
Governor Ododo gave the assurance while receiving the rescued victims at the Government House, Lokoja.
He described the incident as unfortunate and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.
The governor commended the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Department of State Services (DSS), local vigilantes, hunters and members of the community for their coordinated efforts and timely intelligence that led to the successful rescue of the victims.
Governor Ododo maintained that his administration would neither negotiate with kidnappers nor pay ransom, stressing that security agencies had intensified operations to apprehend the fleeing suspects and dismantle criminal networks operating in the state.
He also directed a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the illegal examination centre where the victims were abducted, assuring that anyone found culpable would face the full weight of the law and that the outcome of the investigation would be made public.
Earlier, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Bello Kankarofi, said the victims, comprising a school principal, a NECO official and two female candidates, were abducted on Tuesday, July 14, when gunmen attacked an unauthorised NECO examination centre operating at the abandoned Government Secondary School, Olowa in Dekina Local Government Area.
The Commissioner of Police disclosed that preliminary investigations showed the abandoned school, which had earlier been shut down by the state government for security reasons, was being used illegally as a special examination centre.
He assured that investigations were ongoing and that all individuals found to have facilitated the illegal operation or violated any law in connection with the incident would be arrested and prosecuted.
Edited by Ajifa Ainoko
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