Niger State Police Reunites 35 Kidnap Victims with Families After Weeks in Custody

The Niger State Police Command has successfully reunited 35 rescued kidnap victims with their families after weeks in captivity. The victims were recently rescued while being relocated by their abductors. The Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, handed over the survivors to the Chairman of Rafi Local Government Area, Ayuba Usman Katako, in Minna, the state capital.

Key Takeaways:

• 35 kidnap victims, comprising 16 women and 19 children, were rescued by the Niger State Police Command after weeks in custody.
• The victims were recently relocated by their abductors and intercepted by security operatives along multiple routes.
• The Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, handed over the survivors to the Chairman of Rafi Local Government Area, Ayuba Usman Katako.
• The victims received food, bedding, psychological counseling, and deradicalization support provided in partnership with the state government.
• The Niger State Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and Women Affairs have trained 40 government officials, security agents, and service providers on ways to tackle stigmatization against the kidnapped women.
• The training was a collaborative effort between the Government, the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), and the Federation of Muslim Women's Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN), with support from the Ford Foundation.
• The Director of Partnership and Communication at the Development Research and Projects Centre, Malam Hassan Aliyu Karofi, stated that the training was a response to the recent rescue of the 27 women who had been in captivity for a long time and returned with pregnancies and children.

Statistics:

• 35 kidnap victims were reunited with their families.
• 16 women and 19 children were rescued.
• 3 groups of victims were intercepted by security operatives along multiple routes.
• 40 government officials, security agents, and service providers were trained by the Niger State Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and Women Affairs on tackling stigmatization against the kidnapped women.
• 27 women were rescued from captivity and returned with pregnancies and children.
• 5 women and 6 children were rescued in Agwara.
• 4 women and 7 children were rescued along the Mekujeri-Tegina road.
• 1 driver, Yusuf Abdullahi of Birnin-Gwari, was investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for his involvement with the kidnappers.

Sources:

• Daily Trust
• AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)