Police arrest 1,345 suspects in 5 weeks

The operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested 1,345 suspects for various offences across the country in the past five weeks.

Those arrested included 385 armed robbery suspects, 238 kidnapping suspects, 341 murder/homicide suspects, 87 suspects connected with unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, 143 rape suspects, and 151 cultism suspects.

The police also recovered 143 firearms of various calibres, 741 ammunitions, and 72 stolen vehicles, as well as the rescue of 461 kidnapped victims across the country.

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, April 12, 2024.

Adejobi stated that on March 4, a team from Operation Zenda Joint Task Force, acting on credible intelligence, invaded an arms manufacturing hideout at Amahundu, Nanev, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State and arrested nine suspects, including a Cameroonian.

He listed items recovered from the suspects to include eight Barretta Pistols under fabrication, one AK-47 rifle, ten AK47 live ammunition, five Barretta pistol ammunition, four welding gas cylinders, and other fabrication materials.

Lagos police arrest 43 in midnight raid, recover gun

He said the operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command on February 24, while acting upon credible intelligence stormed Sardauna, Toto forests, and arrested one Samaila Wakili Fafa fondly called Habu Ibrahim, a kidnap kingpin on the command wanted list with a bounty placed on him by the Minister of the FCT.

The police spokesman said: “He confessed to several killings done by himself and his gang, including the abduction of one Barr Chris Agidy, the legal aide to Senator Ned Nwoko and Mr Sunday Yahaya Zakwai, the village head of Ketti Village who were both killed by him.

“He led operatives to where he buried the remains of the Late Barr Agidy whose corpse was exhumed and deposited at Gwagwalada General Hospital.”

Adejobi further disclosed that the NPF, within the period, disbursed insurance packages to families of slain policemen within the past nine months, amounting to N7.2 billion.

He added that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun while emphasising the importance of improving officer welfare and morale, urged all landlords and employers of domestic staff in FCT, and by extension other states of the federation, to ensure they visit police stations within their areas to request and fill forms for proper profiling of intended employees/tenants for employment and tenancy purposes to strengthen the capacity of the NPF to identify and deter potential threats in Abuja.

The Star