The Nigeria Police Force says it has arrested 5,936 suspects for various crimes across the country, and recovered 360 firearms and 5,952 rounds of live ammunition, in an intensified clampdown on gunrunning and illegal possession of arms.
In a press release issued and signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Wednesday, the Force said the operation was part of its renewed push to bolster national security and combat organised crime.
“In continuity of its intensified efforts to bolster national security and combat organised crime, the Nigeria Police Force has again recorded outstanding achievements in tackling gunrunning and significantly reducing the proliferation of prohibited firearms and ammunition across the country,” the statement read.
According to Adejobi, those arrested included “715 armed robbery suspects, 306 kidnappers, 533 murder and homicide suspects, 149 suspects for the unlawful possession of firearms, 371 suspects for sexually related offences, 590 suspected cultists, and 3,272 suspects arrested for other various crimes.”
At a press briefing held at the Intelligence Response Team base in Guzape, Abuja, the Force highlighted some of the breakthroughs, including the arrest of Jane Anodua, accused of child trafficking in Plateau State.
“Sequel to a case reported by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Plateau State, about incessant abduction and sales of children in the state, operatives of the FID-IRT took immediate action, arresting the suspect in Rivers State,” the statement said.
The Police added that two girls aged 10 were rescued, while two more trafficked children were later found in Imo State and reunited with their parents.
Another major arrest was that of Tanfa Binbol, a suspected gunrunner, who was intercepted on July 13th in Taraba State.
“Upon his arrest, the suspect was subsequently questioned and confessed to being a gunrunner operating between Taraba and Plateau States,” the Force explained, adding that a search of his premises yielded three AK-47 rifles, five pistols, and a pump-action rifle.
The Police also reported the arrest of Jerauji Ibrahim of Adamawa State on July 27th. He allegedly confessed to possessing two AK-47 rifles, which were recovered alongside magazines and 19 rounds of ammunition.
The statement noted that further operations led to the recovery of “4 AK-47 rifles, 1 G-3 rifle, 1 SMG rifle, 1 locally fabricated pistol, 1 revolver AK-47 rifle, and 1 revolver cartridge rifle from various hideouts of suspected criminals.”
The Force Spokesperson said the achievements reflected the resolve of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to safeguard the lives and properties of all citizens of Nigeria.
“The Nigeria Police Force under the esteemed leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, remains firmly committed to its core mandate of safeguarding the lives and property of all citizens, while ensuring that Nigerians can go about their daily activities in peace and without fear of the unknown,” he stated.
