The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has confirmed the abduction – and rescue – of Chief Superintendent of Police, Modestus Ojiebe, who was kidnapped along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in Abuja.

The police said Ojiebe was rescued at Garaku community in Nasarawa State following an operation.

In a statement, the command’s spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Josephine Adeh, said, “Upon receiving the distress call, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Dawaki, acted swiftly, leading his patrol team while alerting all police checkpoints and key entry and exit points into the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“This decisive response enabled the successful rescue of the officer and his reunion with his family on the same night.”

Adeh stressed that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the suspects, who abandoned the victim and fled into the bush at Garaku.

Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, urged residents of the FCT to remain vigilant and report any suspicious individuals or activities to the police or other security formations nearest to them.

Earlier, sources said the senior officer attached to the Kwara State Police Command was attacked while attempting to fix his vehicle, which had broken down near Dei-Dei Police Barracks in Abuja.

A counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, said about Ojiebe’s abduction, “While he was attempting to fix the vehicle, an ash-colour Mercedes-Benz with four armed occupants stopped behind him.

“The assailants searched and robbed Ojiebe and his wife of their mobile phones and ATM cards. However, upon discovering his police identity card, they forced him into their vehicle and sped off, leaving his wife and their car at the scene.”

Kidnapping incidents, once restricted to remote communities and satellite towns, are aggressively making a comeback into metropolitan areas in the FCT.

A disturbing aspect is the situation where armed criminals drive around town in search of victims, despite checkpoints at strategic locations and joint taskforce patrol teams.

Abuja residents now hardly sleep with their eyes closed, as stories of armed robbery attacks on homes and estates are becoming rampant.