…Says we recorded 172 Cases of Kidnapping and 67 Cases of Banditry Attacks in 7 weeks

….Says Police rescued 107 Kidnapped victims, arrested 814 suspects, recovered 166 firearms

By Kingsley Omonobi

Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun on Thursday disclosed that in the past seven weeks, the Police recorded 302 Cases of Murder, 172 Cases of Kidnapping, 111 cases of armed robbery attacks and 67 Cases of Banditry Attacks due to insecurity in the country.

“During this period, we recorded thirty-five (35) cases of terrorism/secessionist attacks, three hundred and two (302) cases of murder, one hundred and eleven (111) cases of armed robbery, one hundred and seventy-two (172) cases of kidnapping, sixty-seven (67) cases of banditry, and fifteen (15) cases of unlawful possession of firearms”.

Speaking at a meeting he summoned with Police Strategic Commanders to deliberate on the current security situation in the country, IGP Egbetokun said, “By executing some of the strategies and plans formulated at the last conference we held, the Nigeria Police Force arrested 814 suspects for their participation in various crimes, rescued 107 kidnapped victims, and recovered 166 various firearms, 1,074 ammunition and 41 vehicles.

He listed some of results strategies, saying, “In the Federal Capital Territory, the recurring security breaches witnessed in the late 2023 and early January 2024, led to the launch of the Special Intervention Squad (SIS) on the 17th of January 2024, as a significant stride towards fortifying the security landscape in the capital city. Amongst the successes recorded following this launch include the arrest of one Idris Ishaku aka Yellow, a notorious kidnap kingpin in the Bwari axis, and two (2) others.

“Apart from engaging in kidnapping activities, the suspects form part of the network of spies providing information on potential victims to other criminal gangs and syndicates.

“On the 24th of January, 2024, the SIS in conjunction with some officers from the FCT Command, and vigilantes stormed a kidnapping syndicate camp in Ukya Village Nasarawa where they were able to secure the rescue of 14 hostages unhurt after a fierce gun battle.

“In Rivers, on 13/1/2024 at about 1743hrs, Rivers State Police Command received a distress call from a member of the public that an 18-seater bus coming from Owerri to Port Harcourt was attacked by unknown gunmen along Umuanwa/Ubima Road.

“Police Operatives immediately raced to the scene and engaged the kidnappers in a fierce gun battle, leading to the rescue of ten (10) victims who have all been reunited with their families; while effort is ongoing to locate and rescue the other missing victims.

“”Following the recent attack in Mangu area of Plateau State, operatives of the SIS deployed to the area swung into action to prevent further attacks. The operatives arrested nine (9) suspects in connection to the recent attack, recovered from them dangerous weapons including machetes, petrol kegs, which are suspected to have been used by the hoodlums to set fire on houses in the area.

“Normalcy has since been restored and security operatives are fully on ground to thwart any further attack, while manhunt for the attackers continues till they are hunted down.

“In Kaduna, on 20/01/2024, Operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command acting on intelligence, raided one hotel in Tafa Area, Kaduna, where one Bello Mohammed was arrested with the sum of Two Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N2,250,000) suspected to be part of ransoms collected from kidnapped victims. The suspect instantly offered the DPO Tafa Division a bribe of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) which was rejected.

“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to his membership of

the gang that kidnapped the family members of one Barrister Ariyo in Bwari, FCT, and killed some kidnapped victims, including Ms. Nabeeha, daughter of the legal practitioner.

“On the 24th of January, 2024, some operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) intercepted a group of persons along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway who were suspected to be major suppliers of arms and ammunition to bandits operating in Kaduna, Niger and Zamfara States. The suspects have confessed to the crimes and assisting us in further investigations into the matter.

“In Kogi, on 17/01/2024 at about 8am, credible information and intelligence was gathered that some dreaded and unrepentant criminals who specialize in terrorizing Kogi State, Kaduna State, FCT and other parts of Northern Nigeria were taking refuge at their hideout at Obajana in Kogi State.

“A crack team of FID-IRT was immediately detailed to go on their trail. The operatives succeeded in arresting one Usman Yunusa and Samila Haruna and recovered two AK47 rifles from them. The suspects are aiding the ongoing investigation.

“In Ogun, on 27/01/2024 at about 0235hrs, security operatives uncovered the clandestine operations of one Abdul-Azeez Ibrahim (aka Butcher) f Imaweje community by Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun Campus, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State as the armourer for Aye confraternity, a cult group responsible for serial attacks on students and innocent members of the community.

“The suspect was trailed to his criminal hideout where the following exhibits were recovered; one serviceable Brownie Pistol loaded with 4 rounds of live ammunition and its magazine, one pump action rifle-jojef with 10 rounds of live cartridges, one English long double barrel riffle, on English short double barrel rifle, one locally made revolver pistol loaded with 2 rounds of live ammunition, one axe of aye confraternity, charms, locally fabricated body armour, etc.

“In Ekiti, following a tragic incident in Ekiti State which claimed the lives of two (2) traditional rulers, kidnap of five (5) school children, three (3) teachers and a driver, a joint operation comprising of officers of Ekiti and Ondo States Police Command in conjunction with other security and local security groups stormed the forest in search of the perpetrators of this heinous act.

“This led to the arrest of thirteen (13) suspected kidnappers. Exhibits recovered from them include: cutlasses, axe, daggers, two (2) motorcycles, four (4) mobile phones, one cow and other food items. On 4th February, local vigilantes and hunters as well as the family members, successfully rescued the five (5) abducted school children and three (3) teachers.

“In Kwara, following the kidnap of the Olukoro of Koro Kingdom, Late Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, who was gruesomely murdered in his palace on the 1st of February, 2024, a police chopper was deployed for aerial surveillance of the forestry boundary between Kwara and Ekiti State. This operation led to the successful rescue of the wife of the late monarch and one other. Also, thirteen (13) male suspects were arrested and are presently aiding investigation.

He continued, “Within the period under review, the Nigeria Police Force National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC) recorded notable successes in its quest to tackle the scourge of cyber related crimes including the arrest, investigation and arraignment of one (1) suspect in connection with Two Million US Dollars ($2,000,000.00) financial security breach.

“The investigation, arrest and arraignment of twelve (12) suspects in connection with Interswitch Thirty Billion Naira (N30,000,000,000.00) security breach.

“The efforts led to the recovery of thirteen (13) cars, forty-three (43) houses and landed properties, One Billion, Seven Hundred and Twenty-Four Million Naira (N1,724,000,000.00) cash and another sum of One Hundred Million Naira (N100,000,000.00) digital assets trashed and frozen.

“The investigation, arrests of suspects and recovery of funds in a case of fraud and breach of trust involving One Billion Two Hundred Million Naira (N1,200,000,000.00) for the establishment of an e-governance platform for the Enugu State Government where the sum of One Billion, Ninety-Seven Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira (N1,097,700,000.00) was recovered.

On run off/bye elections, he said, “The recent peaceful and successful conduct of the run-off and bye elections across 26 states of Nigeria on February 3rd, 2024, is another evidence of result-oriented proof of the strategic deployments of the Nigeria Police Force and resilient support for our democratic process. Whilst majority of the elections proceeded smoothly, there were pockets of challenges encountered in some areas.

“In response, the Police took swift action, making several arrests to prevent the disruption the electoral process. In total, fourteen (14) suspects, including two (2) public officials, were apprehended across the affected States.

“In Akwa Ibom State, a locally made pistol was recovered, while a suspected thug was lynched by members of the public in Kaduna State. The arrested suspects will be handed over to the INEC upon conclusion of investigations for further actions in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended).

27.

Egbetokun emphasized that “in spite of the aforementioned achievements and accolades, we must not lose sight of the pervasive atmosphere of insecurity and the malfeasance of some of our men and officers.

“It is deeply regrettable that we have some unscrupulous elements in our midst who often conduct themselves improperly, thereby bringing the Force into disrepute. These unscrupulous elements in our midst often disparage the good and hard work of the majority of us thereby compounding the negative image of the Nigerian Police in the eyes of our people.

“I hereby state categorically that it is our responsibility to ensure better service delivery though the strict supervision of our men and officers. It is incumbent upon us to lead by example and leave no room for the negative elements in our midst to thrive.”