The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Wednesday, February 17, has described what happened in Niger State as a source of concern.
He was among the federal government delegation to Niger State to review the Wednesday’s abduction in Kagara.
The IGP said different strategies were being put in place to address the situation.
“We have restrategised. We are working to ensure that the students are returned unharmed. We are using the same strategy as we used in the past case but it won’t stop us from apprehending those who committed the act. We have deployed our units of mobile policemen to reinforce security in the state. The group that perpetrated the incident, we know the group and we will get the people back unharmed,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, who led the delegation to Minna, disclosed that they were sent by President Buhari to assure the people and government of Niger State and Nigeria that the administration will ensure the safety of lives and property in the country.
“We are glad that the government is exploring kinetic and non-kinetic options to ensure the safe release of the victims. We will deploy all resources to ensure the safe release of the victims. We want to assure Nigerians that we will not surrender our sovereignty but will employ all means to ensure the safe release of all the victims across Nigeria,” Lai Mohammed said.
Other members of the delegation included the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno; and Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi.
On his part, NSA Monguno said the federal government will deploy everything at its disposal, including reconciliatory measures to ensure the students returned safely. He recalled that within a span of 90 days, Nigeria had recorded two cases of abduction of students.
According to him, “The president is ready to apply whatever it takes to make Nigeria safe and secure. Our response to these incidents would be measured. We will apply the non -kinetic measures but although we are looking at non-kinetic measures does not mean that security won’t carry out their statutory measures, which is to safeguard the security of Nigerians for as long as this government remains in this office, by applying every measure to secure the lives of the people.
“No responsible government will relinquish its sovereignty to bandits, kidnappers, and insurgents. That is not something that the government will apply. There are too many issues involved in our security challenges and there will be series of efforts to resolve them.”
