Security agencies have delayed an immediate assault on a suspected kidnappers’ camp in Imo State after intelligence indicated that the location had been heavily mined with improvised explosive devices.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said on Saturday that security operatives had identified the location where prospective National Youth Service Corps members were believed to be held hostage.
Bosso said the operatives tracked the kidnappers into the bush and deployed drones on Friday, which helped to establish the precise location of the suspected camp.
He, however, said the planned rescue operation had been delayed because of intelligence suggesting that explosives had been planted around the hideout.
“Any moment, we’ll still move into the bush. Yesterday, we were in the bush, we trailed them up to a particular location,” Bosso said.
He explained that although the drone surveillance successfully identified the camp, security personnel could not immediately enter the area because of the risk posed by the suspected improvised explosive devices.
“But our predicament is that with the intel we have, the camp is mined with IEDs,” he said.
The commissioner said security agencies were preparing heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, to facilitate the operation and minimise risks to the hostages and personnel.
“We’re moving in with bulldozers and APCs to see how we’re going to rescue these victims unhurt,” he added.
The state police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, also confirmed that operatives were closing in on the kidnappers, saying personnel involved in the operation had been briefed on the appropriate approach.
The development comes after the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, alongside two commissioners of police, to reinforce the rescue effort in Imo State.
