The Nigeria Police Force says it has recorded major breakthroughs in its ongoing operations against violent crime, with the rescue of a kidnap victim, the arrest of three suspected kidnappers, and the recovery of a cache of arms, ammunition, and millions of naira in cash in Akwa Ibom and Nasarawa States.
The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that the coordinated successes reflect the renewed drive of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, to clamp down on criminal elements nationwide.
In Akwa Ibom, on August 16, operatives from the Eket and Ikot Udota Divisions, working with local youths of Afia Nsit, responded to a distress call about a suspected kidnapping attempt at Factory Road, Afia Nsit.
The NPF noted that the swift intervention led to the rescue of a victim, identified as Emerson, and the arrest of two suspects: Okon Edem Okon and Emmanuel Bassey.
A follow-up search in an uncompleted building within a nearby bush uncovered a cache of arms including one AK-47 rifle, one assault rifle, 67 rounds of ammunition, a pump-action shotgun with six live cartridges, six magazines, and a mobile phone suspected to belong to the gang.
Police stated that efforts are ongoing to apprehend fleeing members of the group.
Similarly, in Nasarawa State on August 18, police operatives attached to Garaku Division intercepted an abandoned Opel Vectra following a lone crash near the VIO checkpoint in Angwan Mayo community.
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A G3 rifle was initially recovered from the vehicle, but a more detailed search later uncovered one AK-47 rifle, one Type 06 rifle, another G3 rifle, three magazines, 57 rounds of ammunition, and ₦6,908,150 in cash.
Following a joint manhunt with the military, one suspect, Mohammed Tahir of Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, was arrested.
The police said he confessed to belonging to a seven-man kidnap gang responsible for abducting a lawyer in Nyanya, Abuja, from whom ransom had already been collected.
The Force assured that all arrested suspects would face prosecution at the end of ongoing investigations.
The IG Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun commended the swift response of operatives, the cooperation of community members, and the vigilance of citizens who provided timely intelligence, stressing that the Police would not relent until criminal gangs have no safe haven in the country.
