The Nigeria Police Force in its ongoing efforts to combat crime and criminality and curb the proliferation of illegal weapons in the country has recorded several notable breakthroughs in the past two months, resulting in the arrest of 1,412 suspects for various violent crimes including 548 suspects for armed robbery, 242 suspects for kidnapping, 365 suspects for murder/homicide, and 237 suspects for rape/defilement.
Also, 350 illicit firearms, and 4,055 ammunition of various calibers were equally recovered from across the country within the period under review, while 113 kidnap suspects were rescued unhurt and re-united with their families.
Prominent amongst these breakthroughs was the arrest of one Yusuf Ismael Isah aged 32, a plumber from Okene, Kogi State, by gallant operatives of the Force. According to investigations, he was part of the 7-man gang that launched a fatal attack on the convoy of Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the Founder of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Auchi, on October 21, 2022, along Benin – Auchi road, wherein six (6) people, including 3 police officers, were gruesomely murdered. Intelligence revealed that the 7-man syndicate has been actively involved in kidnapping operations within Edo State and its environs and have carried out about 4 kidnapping operations between 2021 and 2023, before the gang was eventually busted by the Police.
Exhibits recovered from the suspect upon his arrest in Ondo State include 5 AK47 Rifles, 2 K2 Assault Rifles, 180 Rounds of Live Ammunition, 4 suspected locally made IEDs, 1 pistol, and 4 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Similarly, five suspects were apprehended in Abuja for conspiracy and kidnapping. The suspects: Emu Larry Chidiebere, male, 34; Samuel Balogun, male, 22; Williams Banjo, male, 28; Babatunde Femi, male, 30; and Nneka Opara, female, 32; were arrested for kidnapping a foreign national and obtaining a ransom of $2000 from his relatives. The suspects held the victim hostage in an apartment from May 30, 2023 to June 2, 2023.
The suspects took pictures of the victim and forwarded the pictures and threat messages to the girlfriend of the victim in Zurich, who eventually sent them the sum of 2000 dollars via Western Union on June 1, 2023.
Additionally, the Police has sustained a continuous assault on the camps of some non-state actors in the South-East enforcing an illegal sit at home order particularly in Enugu, Imo, and Ebonyi States. In Enugu, 4 suspects were neutralized following a gun duel with operatives of the Force on Friday 7th July, 2023 while 1 AK47 with 19 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, and 2 molotov cocktails were recovered. In Ebonyi, 17 suspects were arrested following a raid on the hideout of secessionist agitators on 5th and 6th of July, 2023, while 1 locally made revolver, 2 vehicle number plates and 3 live ammunition were recovered. Similarly, in Imo, police operatives arrested 26 hoodlums following the murder of a young man in their rampage, and successfully recovered 5 firearms, 66 live ammunition and several other exhibits.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, has reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to continually ensure the safety and security of all and sundry, while emphasizing that his administration will leave no stone unturned in the effort to suppress and decimate criminality and the heinous activities of non-state actors who cause pain, hardship, and sorrows to innocent law abiding members of the Nigerian society.
