We’ll neutralize kidnappers using hostages as human shields – Edo CP

We’ll neutralize kidnappers using hostages as human shields – Edo CP

BY OLAIDE SHITTU

BENIN CITY – THE Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Monday Agbonika has said that one of the challenges men of the command face while going after kidnappers is that they use their hostages as human shields but said they are also adopting new ways to check this trend and rescue kidnappers alive.

Agbonika stated this at a press briefing to mark his one month as the police boss in the state where he said that 7 kidnapped victims have been rescued while 95 suspected cultists have been arrested and charged to court, 12 suspected kidnappers have been arrested and most of them confess to the crime.

He said 25 firearms were also recovered within the past one month which he said included two AK 47 rifles, 130rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 135 live cartridges, as well as the recovery of four (4) stolen/robbed vehicles.

Others were a Lar Mark rifle, three English pistols, one Beretta pistol, four single barrel guns among others including cash and an iphone 16 plus.

“We shall sustain engagement with communities, bush combing operations across area commands and divisions, intelligence-led raids of flashpoints and high visibility policing amongst many other strategies with a view to preventing crimes and maintaining law and order in the State.

“Our operations are not easy, whenever kidnappers take hostages and we go after them like we are going after them now, when we come across these kidnappers, we find it difficult to fire at them because they use their hostages as human shields and they are at liberty to fire at us at will but we are working at introducing other technological assistance in tracking these kidnappers and make it easy to pick them out without hurting the victims, we want to be further proactive to ensure that kidnapping does not take place.”

He said the police was working with the state government to reform the vigilante such that they would only served in their communities “We cannot allow our forests to be ungoverned so we are taking over these forests, combing them we cannot allow any part of the state to be ungoverned we are collaborating with sister agencies but we will not allow vigilante to be carrying firearms at will unless they are authorized.”