All 9 officers of the Nigeria Police who were kidnapped on November 8 between Kankara town and Sheme in Katsina State have been rescued.
This was confirmed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba in a statement on Friday.
The rescue of the security operatives – all Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) comes almost two weeks after the incident was reported to have occurred.
The police officers had gone missing after a night commercial bus they were travelling in came under attack by heavily armed men suspected to be bandits.
They were on their way to Gusau, the Zamfara State capital from Maiduguri in Borno State at the time of the incident.
According to Mr Mba, a covert operation to locate and rescue the officers commenced immediately they were discovered missing.
According to him led to the apparent delay in commenting on the unfortunate incident, as it was a deliberate decision aimed at protecting the integrity and confidentiality of the rescue operation and safety of the officers.
Noting that 2 of the officers are currently receiving medical attention in a hospital, while the remaining seven are being debriefed, he added that preliminary investigation showed the attack on the vehicle was an opportunistic crime, noting that the officers were all traveling along with other private citizens in the commercial vehicle, in mufti and unarmed.
He also stressed that 9 officers were involved in the incident and not 12 as reported.
He stated that a follow-up investigation into the incident was ongoing and that the police would ensure improved safety and tactical presence of personnel on highways across the nation before, during, and after the festive period.
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