The Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Command, Malam Ahmad Abdurrahaman, on Monday led a patrol along Kaduna-Abuja highway as part of confidence building measures to assure motorists of the safety of the road.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that weeks of abductions along the highway had scared motorists and generated national outcry, forcing police authorities to begin a special operation to clear the road of kidnappers and other criminals.
The Commissioner, who was at Katari village where the Inspector General of Police, Mohammad Adamu inaugurated the special operation, tagged Puff Ader, on April 5, said so far, the criminals have been dislodged and a lot of them killed.
“I want to inform you that based on incident analysis, the Abuja-Kaduna road is now safe and free of threat to ply on at any time.
“We have reviewed the current security deployment plan and we have reinforced the operation with a robust patrol system that can checkmate any amoebic modus the bandits might use to avoid the ferocious onslaught of our gallant operatives.
“Just yesterday, the Force Public Relations Officer DCP Frank Mba has dully informed the public of our successes where our men gunned down about nine bandits while carrying out their nefarious activities.
”I am appealing to members of the public to continue to support the Police with vital information on the movement and activities of any suspicious person or group of persons who might pose danger to their security within their respective neighborhoods.
”I want to inform you that I will lead a patrol on this road throughout this week to ensure that the bandits do not have a breathing space,” he said.
Earlier, the District Head of Bishini Katari, Mr Zamani Dogonyaro, said since the inauguration of operation Puff Adder by the IGP the road is now safer and free with no incident of kidnapping or banditry.
Dogonyaro, however, appealed to the government to extend the operation into the interior so that farmers afraid of going to their farms because of the activities of the criminals, could do so.
