Two persons were on Thursday confirmed dead while six others were rescued after operatives of the Plateau State Police Command engaged suspected kidnappers in a gun battle.
It was learnt that the kidnappers had earlier invaded Gwalada village in the neighbouring Toro LGA of Bauchi State and kidnapped some residents.
Some police operatives who were alerted over the incident later traced the kidnappers to their hideout within the border community.
In the cross-fire that ensued, two persons- one of the kidnap suspects and a vigilante group member, were killed while six of the kidnapped residents were rescued by the police.
The spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Alabo Alfred, confirmed the development in a statement in Jos on Thursday.
The statement said, “The Plateau State Police Command in its relentless efforts to get rid of criminal elements in the state has trailed a gang of notorious kidnappers to their den, dislodged them, rescued six (6) kidnapped victims and gunned down one kidnapper.
“On 01/11/2023, at about 0600hrs, while acting on a credible intelligence about a horrible kidnap incident that some unidentified suspected kidnappers invaded Gwalada village in Toro LGA of Bauchi State and forcefully kidnapped some residents of the area to a rocky forest in between Tumu,Tsaya and Rumfar Gomna in Bassa LGA, the Divisional Police Officer of Jengre led a combined team of battle-ready police operatives, STF, Security Help Groups to the kidnappers’ camp.
“On sighting the security operatives, the kidnappers engaged them in a fierce gun fight but they were subdued by the superior firepower of the security operatives. However, six victims namely: Rashida Hamisu, Mummi Usman, Ibrahim Isa,Ya’u Yahaya,Bala Aminu and Alhaji Ishaku Usman all of Gwalfada, Toro LGA, Bauchi were rescued from the operation while one of the kidnappers was gunned down and his cohorts fled with various degrees of bullet wounds but sadly, one Nuhu Titus, a hunter who aided the security in the rescue operation lost his life.”
The statement said efforts were being intensified to arrest the fleeing suspects and rescue other kidnap victims.
It added that the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, CP Okoro J. Alawari, assured the residents of the commitment of the police to combat crime and criminality in the state.
“He (CP) vows to do all within his powers to ensure that all the 17 Local Government Areas continue to remain safe for all citizens of the state.
“The CP warns kidnappers to repent from their atrocious activities or leave Plateau State before the police apprehend them,” the statement added.
