The Nigeria Police Force has rescued a 43-year-old woman and her two-year-old son from the hideout of suspected kidnappers in a forest in Kwara State following a coordinated intelligence-led operation.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that operatives of the Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team, working alongside local security support groups, carried out the operation on Saturday in the Bode Sadu forest where the victims were being held captive.
According to the statement, the kidnappers opened fire on the advancing security team in a bid to resist the operation.
However, the operatives responded with superior tactical firepower, forcing the criminals to flee deeper into the forest.
The police thereafter combed the area and successfully rescued the victims, identified as 43-year-old Adijat Kuburat and her two-year-old son, Abdul Malik Hamzat, from the kidnappers’ camp.
The statement added that both victims had been taken to a medical facility for treatment and evaluation, while security operatives had intensified efforts to track down the fleeing suspects and dismantle the criminal network responsible for the abduction.
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the courage and professionalism displayed by the operatives during the rescue mission.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to sustaining intelligence-driven and collaborative operations aimed at combating kidnapping and other violent crimes across the country until those behind such acts are brought to justice.