Kidnapping, killings: IGP launches special squad against bandits in FCT

In an attempt to curtail the recent wave of kidnappings in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Wednesday launched the “Special Intervention Squad”.

The police chief stated during the special squad’s Abuja unveiling that the unit was made up of mobile police officers with specialized training who would respond quickly to security breaches in the Federal Capital Territory.

Egbetokun gave Nigerians assurances that the recently established Special Intervention Squad will be duplicated in adjacent states to tackle the issue of insecurity, even though the squad will be heavily involved in community policing.

The kidnapping of six siblings and their father in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja on January 3, 2024, has been met with outrage. One of the sisters, Nabeehah, was allegedly slain by the kidnappers after her parents failed to provide the N60 million ransom by the deadline.

The IGP demanded on Monday that more be done in the nation’s capital to “decimate kidnappers and other criminally-minded individuals.”

In Abuja, the IGP also had meetings with the Tactical Squads and the Force Management Team.

President Bola Tinubu denounced the recent wave of kidnappings and bandit attacks in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other regions of the nation on Tuesday, calling the events unsettling, demonic, and menacing.

The President announced that all necessary plans, strategies, and resources will soon be implemented to support the widespread education of Nigerian young, even as security services move quickly to confront the current crisis.