A TOTAL of 271 persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in murder and homicide, while 111 stolen vehicles were recovered over the past one month.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) disclosed this in a statement, detailing the activities of the Force under the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun in efforts to combat violent crime.
In addition to the murder suspects, the Force also arrested 295 individuals for armed robbery, 186 for kidnapping and 71 for illegal possession of firearms.
Police operations also led to the recovery of 185 firearms and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition of different calibers.
The Inspector-General explained that the success of these operations is due to “several strategies and tactics” that have played crucial role in addressing crime swiftly and effectively.
The month-long operations also resulted in the arrest of 199 suspects for sexual-related offenses and 143 suspects connected to cultism.
The police also rescued 129 kidnapped victims, to combat the growing menace of kidnapping in various parts of the country.
The police’s continuous efforts to crack down on criminal syndicates also led to the disruption of several organised crime rings, including a gunrunning syndicate of John Danladi, Mohammed Munkail, Manasseh William, and Muhammadu Haddi operating in the Bauchi-Plateau region.
The leader of the syndicate, Taimako Mato, previously served as a weapon-handling instructor at a Boko Haram camp.
Mato was known for procuring and distributing prohibited weapons to various buyers through his network. The confiscated items included 1 PKT machine gun, 40 rounds of 37.2mm ammunition, and 95 rounds of 62mm cartridge ammunition.
The Police emphasised its determination to bring criminal activities to their lowest level while maintaining strict adherence to the rule of law.
