- CP visits Sapele, directs rescue operation
Shocked by the abduction of the Chairman of Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State, Hon. Bright Abeke, tension and apprehension have gripped people in the area.
The chairman was kidnapped from his hotel along Owumi Road in Sapele, on Friday night around 7:25 pm.
Eyewitnesses disclosed that the gunmen in their numbers stormed the hotel in a Range Rover SUV shooting sporadically to disperse onlookers.
In the ensuing chaos, they shot the chairman’s security aide, and a vigilante member identified as Ufuoma before seizing their target, who was immediately whisked away.
As at the time of filing this report the whereabouts of the council chairman has remained shrouded in mystery.
The injured persons were rushed to an undisclosed hospital in the area for medical attention.
In the wake of the development security operatives were said to have blocked all entry and exit routes in Sapele to aid rescue efforts and possibly track down the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, has visited Sapele for on the spot assessment of the rescue efforts.
Confirming this in a brief telephone conversation with Sunday Sun, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, explained that the CP visited the crime scene yesterday and ordered deployment of additional police operatives to ensure the council chairman is rescued unhurt.
“The CP was early today, Saturday in Sapele where he visited the scene of crime and to do the necessary deployment to ensure the council Chairman is rescued unhurt,” Edafe said.
In an earlier statement, Edafe said that the CP had taken a series of proactive security measures following a comprehensive review of the security situation across the State.
He said that the new directives were aimed at strengthening public safety, preventing crime, and ensuring a peaceful environment for all residents, in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
The IGP had mandated all Commands to intensify visibility policing, adopt intelligence-led operations, and reinforce community partnership as a strategy for effective crime prevention and control.
He said that in compliance with the directive, the Command has commenced massive deployment of personnel across all nine Area Commands, divisions, and other critical points within the State.
The new security measures include intensified stop-and-search operations along major highways, entry and exit routes, and identified flashpoints, as well as sustained day and night visibility patrols and coordinated operations with sister security agencies.
The Command is intensifying targeted operations to dismantle kidnapping and herdsmen-related criminal activities in key flashpoints, including Owa-Oyibu, Ogwashi-Uku power line axis, Okpanam, Ashaka, Uwherhu in Ughelli North, Umunede, Igbodo, Idumusa, Ute, and other border communities across the State, to dislodge criminal elements, restore public confidence, and secure all entry and exit corridors within Delta State.
The Commissioner of Police has also directed all Area Commanders to immediately convene stakeholders’ town hall meetings within their respective areas of responsibility, as part of efforts to strengthen community engagement, enhance intelligence gathering, and foster collaborative approaches to addressing security challenges across the State.”
Sun
