Policeman patrol the street during gubernatorial elections, in Kaduna, Nigeria, Thursday, April 28, 2011. Small crowds of voters nervously cast ballots Thursday in two states in oil-rich Nigeria hit hard by religious rioting that killed at least 500 people following the nation's presidential election. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

The Kogi state Police Command has stepped up rescue and search operations following a kidnap incident on the Okene–Auchi Road, deploying a combined team of police and military personnel to forest areas believed to be hideouts of the perpetrators.

In a statement issued by the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) Kogi state command, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat,  Sunday   said the swift response, initiated immediately after the incident, involved intelligence-driven, bush-combing operations across identified forest corridors within the Okene–Ajaokuta axis, particularly around the Ebiya Forest and adjoining locations.

She said security operatives drawn from the Area Command in Okene, the 77 Police Mobile Force Squadron, Okene Division, Adavi Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, and the Violent Crime Response Unit are participating in the operation. 

The statement noted that effort is further reinforced by detachments of the Nigerian Army operating from Forward Operating Bases, alongside tactical support from the Edo state Police command, including its Anti-Kidnapping Unit.

“To block possible escape routes, joint security teams have intensified coordinated clearance operations and intelligence-led patrols along the Kogi–Edo border, targeting forest locations linked to the attack.”