The Nigeria Police Force has rescued 12 kidnapped victims and arrested 23 suspects in a series of coordinated operations across the country, recording significant breakthroughs against kidnapping, armed robbery, child trafficking, homicide and illegal possession of firearms.
The nationwide operations, carried out on July 10, also led to the recovery of three firearms, 10 rounds of ammunition and one vehicle, according to a daily security situation report released on Saturday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Iniedu.
According to the report, operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command rescued three kidnapped victims unharmed following a coordinated operation involving the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, patrol teams and DSS hunters in the Mpape and Ushapa forests.
The victims had been abducted after armed hoodlums attacked a residence in Mpape, killing one person and injuring another before fleeing with the victims. The police said the rescued victims had since been reunited with their families, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
In Kogi State, security operatives rescued six of the 10 passengers abducted by gunmen who attacked a commercial bus along the Ajaokuta Highway.
According to the report, sustained bush-combing operations, surveillance and tactical pressure forced the abductors to abandon the victims and flee into the forest, while efforts continued to secure the release of the remaining four passengers.
The report also disclosed that police in Ebonyi State dismantled a suspected child trafficking network after raiding a hotel in Ohaukwu Local Government Area.
Fourteen suspects were arrested during the operation, while three underage girls were rescued after allegedly being lured with false promises of travelling abroad. The suspects reportedly claimed to be recruiting supplement marketers, but the victims’ accounts contradicted their claims.
In Nasarawa State, police arrested a 20-year-old suspect in connection with the abduction of students of the Federal University of Lafia. The report stated that the suspect was identified by eyewitnesses and had made useful confessions that would assist security agencies in rescuing the remaining two abducted students and apprehending other members of the kidnapping syndicate.
Other operations resulted in the recovery of firearms and ammunition in Akwa Ibom, Kano and Rivers states. In Akwa Ibom, detectives recovered a single-barrel gun and eight live cartridges from a suspect accused of threatening neighbours and members of his family.
Kano police also intercepted a suspect allegedly in possession of a Beretta pistol and other exhibits, while Rivers police arrested three suspects and recovered another Beretta pistol with two rounds of live ammunition.
The report further highlighted several violent crimes recorded across the country, including homicide cases in Kaduna, Kogi, Niger, Oyo and Sokoto states, armed robbery incidents in Bauchi and Rivers states, as well as bandit attacks in parts of Niger State that claimed lives and led to cattle rustling. Police said investigations and tactical operations were ongoing in all the affected states.
Providing a summary of the nationwide operations, the police stated: “Twenty-three (23) suspects were arrested across the country. Three (3) firearms were recovered across the country. Ten (10) rounds of ammunition were recovered across the country. One (1) vehicle was recovered across the country. Twelve (12) kidnapped victims were rescued across the country. No suspects were neutralized across the country.”
The report added that five homicide incidents, two armed robbery cases, three kidnapping incidents, one banditry incident and one terrorism-related incident were recorded nationwide during the reporting period, as the Nigeria Police Force pledged to sustain ongoing operations aimed at tackling violent crime and improving public safety across the country.
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