A group, Global Information Team, has berated the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, over his comments on the purported abduction of 176 residents of Woro hamlet in Kaiama Local Government Area. The group said the commissioner’s comments were disrespectful and inaccurate and that he was downplaying the severity of the incident.
The group said the community and the local government, which has produced important public officers, could not conjure up allegations of a mass abduction. The statement also accused the police command of denying in the first instance the presence of suspected Mahmuda terrorists in the area, until further developments proved their activity.
“We are not surprised about the reported claim of the commissioner that only 10 persons were abducted. The group said in a statement, “Would he say so if those abducted were members of his family?
The association called on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene and condemned the police command for being ineffective in handling insecurity. “If the CP is not capable of saving the abductees, let him look for something else to say,” the group added.
The criticism comes as family of the abductees reinforced their requests for swift assistance, nearly six months after the attack. “The community members have so far raised over N155 million as ransom but the terrorists turned it down and issued fresh threats against the captives.
Commissioner Adekimi said Friday he could not verify the 176 figure, which he said was not from any security agency. The kidnappers produced a video where villagers identified just about 10 people, he said.
The Global Information Team said the police should concentrate on rescuing victims and not on arguing over the number of victims abducted and called for the operation to be recognised as a humanitarian disaster.
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