Delta State Commissioner for Police, CP Wale Abass has directed the immediate deployment of tactical command teams around Asaba, the state capital over the recent spike in kidnappings in the metropolis.
The deployment stemmed from a viral video in which a resident of Asaba narrated how he was randomly kidnapped around 9pm to 10pm on Saturday and released in the wee hour of the following day after paying a ramson.
The man in the video who had a bandage on his head as a result of the injury he sustained in the incident said, he was kidnapped on DLA road in Asaba while he was driving home with his family in his black Lexus jeep.
He explained that the kidnap gang dragged his family members down from the vehicle, bundled him into their vehicle and drove his vehicle along to an unknown location.
According to him, inside the vehicle, the kidnappers bundled him into there was another kidnap victim who was shot in the leg.
“We were later released around 2am along Ibusa road by College of Education. So, from there, a good samaritan drove us to ‘A’ Division where we laid the complaint. From there they took us to FMC for treatment,” said the kidnap victim who spoke at Glo World where he went to retrieve the sim of his phone.
In response to the viral video, the spokesperson for the Delta State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, DSP Bright Edafe, said, “The Command is aware of the viral video clip circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms of a young man narrating how he was allegedly kidnapped in Asaba.
“Though in recent times the command has not recorded or received any reports of kidnapping in the Asaba metropolis, however, the testimony of the narrator is particularly disturbing. The victim has reported to the police and the DPO ‘A’ Division Asaba alongside the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber-Crime Squad are currently working on available details to unravel and arrest the suspects.
“The Delta State Police Commissioner, CP Wale Abass PSC has directed the Asaba Area Commander to coordinate an intensive and confidence-building patrol around the metro. In compliance with this directive, deployments of combat operatives were drawn from Dragon Patrol, Safer Highway, Eagle-Net, Raiders, Safe Delta, and Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
“In the same vein, the command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber-Crime Squad (SAKCCS) has been mandated to go all out and arrest the perpetrators, while operatives of SIB have been deployed to embark on undercover policing duties and intelligence gathering.
“The CP reaffirms and assures residents in the State of the Command’s commitment to providing security for all and ensuring that the entire state is safe. Members of the public are urged to go about their lawful business while monitoring their environment and report any suspicious person or movement to the Police.”
