The Nigeria Police Force arrested no fewer than 3,078 kidnapping suspects, 4,826 armed robbery suspects and 1,243 others for the unlawful possession of firearms in the one year of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The police disclosed this on Wednesday while reviewing its activities in the first year of the current administration.
The police revealed that its operatives had arrested 2,479 suspects for rape/sexual crimes, while no fewer than 3,523 suspects for cultism and 3,381 for murder/homicide were also arrested.
The police said, “Additionally, 13,402 suspects were arrested for other offences. We have also rescued 1,750 kidnap victims and recovered 2,566 firearms, 19,510 rounds of ammunition, and 1,475 vehicles/motorcycles nationwide.
”The Force successfully prosecuted a total of 29,152 criminal cases across the country in one year.
“Remarkably, 17,679 of these cases have been conclusively dispensed with, while 11,576 cases are still undergoing trial. Additionally, 51 cases are currently under appeal at the respective appellate courts.
“Out of the dispensed cases, an impressive 16,200 have led to the conviction of suspects who have been handed various forms of punishment for their criminal acts.”
Meanwhile, the police said it apprehended 19 suspects who have been engaging in various illicit activities.
Chief among the suspects were Muhammad Abubakar, male, 24 and Shehu Muhammad, 35 both from Zamfara State.
The police said the suspects were apprehended through a coordinated effort between FID-IRT operatives and local vigilantes in Asawa village, Kogi State.
“These suspects have been responsible for a series of robberies in Benin and multiple kidnappings in Okene, Kogi State.
“They embarked on their criminal activities about four years ago and have since orchestrated four successful kidnappings.
”The suspects received one million Naira in ransom from their first and second operations, three hundred thousand Naira from the third, and two million Naira from the fourth.
“Their criminal activities came to an end following a fierce gun battle with our operatives, during which they were captured after exhausting their ammunition,” the police noted.
However, the police had recovered exhibits from the suspects including five AK-47 rifles, five pump action rifle, 150 live cartridges, one bullet proof jacket, one night vision telescope, vigilante uniforms, one torch light, one boot, one AA Ammunition, Six Magazines, One hundred and forty two AK-47.