After the initial debunking of the news about the abduction of over 100 Christian worshippers in Kaduna, the Nigerian police force, made a U-turn to confirm the incident and deploy tactical units among other operatives to go after the kidnappers.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident in a statement released on Tuesday. He added that the news was earlier debunked by the police force to calm tension and give room for proper investigation and also to ascertain the accurate number of persons abducted during the terrorist invasion.
Recall that the police had initially denied the report of the attack that claimed to be responsible for the disappearance of over 100 Christian worshippers in a Church in Kaduna. The failure of the police to acknowledge the incident generated a heated controversy amongst the public, questioning the credibility and responsibility of the Nigerian police force and other government authorities who also claimed to be oblivious of the incident.
According to the police, they initially received the reports of the abduction but there was another conflicting report that emerged, which caused the them to halt the report, pending a thorough investigation to obtain a credible information on the incident.
The Force PR Officer, CSP Hundeyin explained that the initial comments made by the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Command, during a media interaction were intended to prevent public panic while investigations were ongoing, and were not a denial of the incident.
“Subsequent verification from operational units and intelligence sources has confirmed that the incident did occur,” he said.
“Following the confirmation, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the full deployment of critical operational and intelligence assets to Kajuru and surrounding communities.
The measures include the deployment of tactical units, intensified patrols, and targeted search-and-rescue operations aimed at locating and safely rescuing the victims, as well as restoring calm to the area”, he added.
