The Commissioner of Police in Niger State, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, has clarified that the 35 women rescued from Boko Haram enclaves are in protective custody, not detention, as speculated in some quarters.
Addressing journalists in his office in Minna on Friday, CP Elleman dismissed claims that the women were being held in a detention facility with their children or that they were threatening to return to their captors in the forest. He described such rumours as false and aimed at creating unnecessary tension.
“The Niger State Government has provided the Command with the necessary support to care for these victims while they remain in protective custody,” Elleman stated. “They are being reoriented and will be returned to their communities once they are medically stable.”
The victims, who had spent up to five years in captivity, were abducted from Sarkinpawa in Munya Local Government Area and parts of Shiroro and Rafi LGAs. They were rescued earlier this July by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Niger State Police Command. The rescue occurred along Tegina-Madaka-Birnin Gwari-Yauri road in Kebbi State, with the police intercepting vehicles transporting the women and children. The three drivers involved were arrested and are currently assisting the police with critical intelligence.
Elleman affirmed the government has provided the women and their children with mattresses, adequate feeding, and medical care.
“Contrary to the rumours, these women are doing well and are not being mistreated. Their welfare is a priority, and no effort is being spared to ensure their recovery and reintegration,” the Commissioner said.
He appealed to the public, particularly members of the victims’ communities, to refrain from spreading unverified information that could jeopardize the ongoing rehabilitation process.
“I want to assure community leaders and relatives that the security and well-being of these victims will not be compromised under my watch,” CP Elleman emphasized.
By Uthman Baba-Sirajdeen, MINNA
