By Hassan Zaggi
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has reassured Nigerians that the Force is working assiduously to ensure an improved safety and tactical presence of police personnel on our highways as the yuletide approaches.
This is even as the 9 Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) who got missing along Kankara town and Sheme in Katsina State, on November 8, have been rescued.
A statement by the Force Spokesman, Frank Mba, disclosed that two of the police officers are currently receiving medical treatment while the 7 others are being debriefed.
The Force Spokesman who debunked the news making the rounds that the missing officers were 12 said that the correct number was 9.
He disclosed that the 9 ASPs were on their way to Gusau in Zamfara State from Maiduguri at the time of the incident.
“The Nigeria Police have successfully rescued 9 Police Officers who earlier went missing on November 8, 2020, between Kankara town and Sheme in Katsina State after the night commercial bus they were traveling in came under attack by heavily armed men, all dressed in Military Camouflage, but suspected to be bandits.
“Covert operation to locate and rescue the officers commenced immediately they were discovered missing en-route to their destination.
“Thus, the apparent delay in commenting on the unfortunate incident was a deliberate decision aimed at protecting the integrity and confidentiality of the rescue operation and the concomitant safety of the officers.
“It is also important to state that preliminary investigation has shown that the attack on the vehicle was an opportunistic crime as the officers were all traveling in mufti, unarmed and alongside other private citizens in the commercial vehicle.
“The total number of officers involved in the incident is 9 and not 12 as previously, wrongly reported in some sections of the media.
“Follow-up investigation into the incident is still ongoing,” the statement noted.
