‘20 abduction cases, 5 kidnapping bids between 2000 and 2016 in Sabah’

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has recorded 20 abduction cases and five kidnapping attempts between 2000 and 2016, said Inspector General of Police ( IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

He said a total of 33 Malaysians and 31 foreigners were kidnapped for ransom during the six years, of which 90 per cent of the abduction cases were carried out by the Abu Sayyaf group.

Khalid said this during his keynote address during the CEO@ Faculty programme at Universiti Malaysia Sabah ( UMS) here yesterday.

He was appointed as a lecturer in universities by the Ministry of Higher Education and is also the CEO for Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.

Asked if the intrusion or abduction rate in Sabah would decrease as many top Abu Sayyaf leaders had been shot dead in the southern Philippines, Khalid said he hoped that cross-border criminals would be deterred with continuous efforts and aggressive actions by the Philippine authorities.

He said the Malaysian police were also working with their Filipino counterparts in information sharing.

“We have increased our presence or forces, including the army, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency ( MMEA) and navy especially on the east coast (of Sabah) to ensure no one attempts to encroach into Malaysia.”

On another note, Khalid said some of the Abu Sayyaf leaders had been detained while some had surrendered themselves in the southern Philippines.

Nonetheless, he said the police were studying the cases as to whether to apply for extradition in order for the perpetrators to face prosecution for abductions in Sabah.