Security operatives and the Federal Government swim in the euphoria of successful rescue operations that free kidnapped victims from their abductors without confrontation and arrest of the culprits, fueling multiple suspicions that government is yet clarify
By Our Correspondent
As usual, President Bola Tinubu has vowed that kidnappers behind the abduction of 15 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and six other Nigerians in Kogi State would face the full weight of the law, as the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) confirmed the rescue of all 21 victims and pledged to sustain operations to free abducted residents of Niger State.
The kidnapped victims, who comprised eight males and 13 females, were rescued from the Egume-Ochaja forest in Kogi State in a coordinated operation that involved the military, Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Department of State Service (DSS) and local vigilantes.
Fifteen of the rescued victims were NYSC members abducted while travelling from Abuja to Bayelsa State.
In a statement posted on his verified X handle, @officialABAT, Tinubu expressed relief by the rescue, but warned that security forces would continue to haunt the fleeing kidnappers and everyone who aided the crime.
Tinubu wrote, “Those responsible will face the full weight of the law, and our security agencies will pursue everyone who aided this crime”.
Tinubu said the victims were receiving medical attention before being reunited with their families.
“I am delighted to receive the news that the fifteen members of the National Youth Service Corps and six other innocent and law-abiding Nigerians abducted last week in Kogi State by some criminal elements have regained their freedom. My administration remains committed to ensuring that every Nigerian can travel across our country without fear”.
Tinubu has also directed the military, police, DSS and other security and intelligence agencies to rescue the victims of the recent mass abduction in Niger State and other parts of the country. The President also vowed that those responsible for the abduction and the killing of innocent citizens would be brought to justice. He directed the Service Chiefs to provide him with regular briefings on the progress of the rescue operation until all those abducted are accounted for.
The rescue operations are commendable, many analysts agreed. But they also raised questions about how kidnapers who kidnap for ransom payment would release their victims to security operatives without a confrontation between them.
The question comes amid suspicion and allegation that the Federal Government may be paying the kidnappers for the release of their victims.
Many citizens wonder how rescue operations happened without shootouts, without arrests of the criminal elements who spent huge amounts of money in carrying out their operations. For this reason, many security experts have always taken the rescue operations with a pinch of salt.
