THE Nigeria police arrested 4187 high profile suspects in seven months nationwide. The police said this number includes 1629 armed robbery suspects; 1053 suspected kidnappers; 1023 cultists, and 482 murder suspects.

Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, said 1181 firearms of various descriptions and caliber, including improvised explosive devices, IEDs, and rocket launchers were recovered in various police operations across the country within the same period.

Speaking at a conference with senior police officers in Abuja, Adamu said 389 stolen vehicles were also recovered from criminal elements, while 506 kidnapped victims were safely rescued.

“It is pertinent to mention that of the rescued victims, 300 were secured in Zamfara State alone with 249 of this number rescued between July 9 and 23 from bandits and militias operating in the forests in and around the state.  The foregoing achievements are indicative of the fact that the trust gap between the police and the citizens has been narrowed such that the communities are now demonstrating impressive commitment towards partnering with the police in presenting a common front against criminal elements.

“It is also suggestive of the fact that the institutional capability of the police to undertake specialised operations, take the anti-crime war to the camps and other safe havens of high-profile criminals, and respond to any scene of violent crime has also been significantly boosted. Above all, the achievements are indicative of the effectiveness of the Operation Puff Adder and other strategies emplaced by the Nigeria Police to address prevalent crimes in the country.

“In order to sustain these gains, we have commenced the process of implementing the Community Policing concept which involves the engagement of citizens in identifying and prioritizing prevalent communal security threats as they affect their localities, and working together with the police towards developing and implementing solutions to the identified threats,” he said.

– July 30, 2019 19:45 GMT |