TheCable

Ibrahim Idris, inspector general of police, has ordered the immediate redeployment of all police officers serving in different formations along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.

Jimoh Moshood, force spokesman, who disclosed this in a statement, said new officers had been posted to the area.

The development comes after Abdulsalam Abubakar, a community leader, complained that kidnappers had killed 18 people who provided information to security agencies.

He attributed the high rate of kidnapping in the area to carelessness on the part of security agencies.

Abubakar accused security agents, especially the police, of leaking intelligence shared with them.

Moshood explained that the overhaul was needed to secure absolute success in rooting out crime perpetrators “terrorising” the highway.

“To ensure total success of operations absolute sanity currently ongoing on Abuja-Kaduna highway aimed at routing out gangs of kidnappers and armed robbers terrorizing Abuja-Kaduna highway, the inspector general of police has ordered the immediate redeployment of area commanders, divisional police officers, all other officers, inspectors and rank and files serving in the police divisions, police stations and out posts situated on Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria highways starting from Zuba division in the federal capital territory, Abuja to all divisions and police stations and posts in Niger state located along the highway to Kaduna, and those other police divisions, police stations and outposts throughout the highways to Kaduna and Zaria city in Kaduna state,” the statement read.

“New area commanders, divisional police officers, other superior police officers, inspectors and rank and files have been posted to take over from the outgoing ones.

“The redeployment is to bring in new experience and fresh impetus to the fights against kidnappings, armed robberies and other violent crimes on these highways, and ensure full execution of operations absolute sanity’s strategies in achieving the stipulated mandates of the operations.”