By Monday Ijeh

A joint search and rescue mission, involving the Police, the military and other law enforcement agencies is ongoing to safely rescue abducted persons in Niger.

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Frank Mba, announced this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that suspected bandits had, on Tuesday night, invaded Government Science School, Kagara in Niger and abducted some students.

Mba said the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, had ordered the deployment of additional tactical, intelligence and investigative assets of the force for the rescue operation.

According to him, four units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) attached to Operation Puff Adder II, one Unit of Police Special Forces, personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU) and operatives from the Force Intelligence Bureau have been deployed.

He said that personnel of the Force Criminal Investigations Department, as well as one Police aerial surveillance helicopter, had also been deployed.

According to him, the police component of the search and rescue operation was being coordinated by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Niger.

He said the commissioner was effectively harnessing all deployed resources and working in collaboration with the Military and other law enforcement agents.

The FPRO said the idea was to ensure an intelligence-driven, focused and result oriented ground and aerial surveillance in the rescue operations and bring the perpetrators to book.

Mba said the I-G called for calm and enjoined members of the community to provide the joint mission with information that could assist in the ongoing search and rescue operations. (NAN)