Police Bust Crime Rings, Arrest 112 Across Nigeria
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
A nationwide police crackdown has delivered significant operational gains across Nigeria, with 112 suspects arrested, two kidnapped victims rescued unharmed, and a cache of firearms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons recovered as security operatives intensified efforts to combat violent crime.
The operations, carried out across 13 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) within the last 24 hours, targeted cultism, armed robbery, kidnapping, homicide, gender-based violence and banditry, reflecting the Nigeria Police Force’s sustained offensive against criminal networks.
The FCT Command recorded the highest number of arrests after coordinated raids by operatives from 11 police divisions on identified criminal hideouts and uncompleted buildings.
The operation led to the arrest of 87 suspects, while quantities of suspected Indian hemp, illicit drugs and knives were recovered.
In Delta State, intelligence-led operations resulted in the arrest of eight suspected cultists during a raid in Amukpe, Sapele Local Government Area.
Police recovered three locally fabricated pistols, six live cartridges, eight rounds of assorted ammunition, two axes, a bottle containing a suspected illicit substance and two cannabis grinders.
The command also arrested a 36-year-old suspect, Peter Jacob, over the alleged repeated defilement of an 11-year-old primary school pupil.
The victim was taken for medical examination.
In Akwa Ibom State, police arrested four suspects in connection with the brutal killing of a 21-year-old man following a viral video that sparked public outrage.
Investigators later exhumed the victim’s body from a shallow grave in a forest for autopsy.
The command also arrested four suspected drug dealers during separate raids in Oruk Anam and Nkana Village, recovering substances believed to be cannabis sativa.
Oyo State Police Command arrested three suspected armed robbers linked to a home invasion in Ibadan, recovering two cutlasses and two saws.
The command also commenced investigations into the killing of a man found with multiple machete wounds in Iseyin.
In Kebbi State, gunmen killed the Director of Personnel Management for Yauri Local Government Area, Alhaji Nasiru Mohammed, and abducted his wife. Police later intercepted the fleeing suspects, fatally injuring one of them while recovering three mobile phones, an axe and other items.
Efforts are ongoing to rescue the abducted woman.
Police in Ogun State recorded breakthroughs in two separate defilement cases, arresting a Nigerian suspect and a Chinese national accused of sexually assaulting teenage girls.
The command also recovered a Toyota Sienna vehicle that had been abandoned since May.
In Benue State, police and local youths repelled an attack by armed bandits on Anyiase Community in Kwande Local Government Area, preventing further casualties despite one resident sustaining a stray bullet injury.
Another suspect linked to an earlier attack in Otukpo was arrested.
Similarly, police operatives in Sokoto State rescued two kidnapped victims unharmed after engaging fleeing bandits in a gun battle during an early morning operation in Wamako Local Government Area.
Anambra State Police Command launched investigations into the alleged killing of a 12-year-old secondary school student, reportedly beaten by a teacher, while also arresting three suspects accused of abducting and defrauding Point-of-Sale operators of millions of naira.
In Katsina State, three vigilante members were arrested following the fatal shooting of a 42-year-old man during an attempt to apprehend a woman over an alleged debt, an incident that triggered unrest in the community.
Kwara State recorded a tragic road accident on the Niger-Kwara border bridge, where a head-on collision between a truck and an 18-seater commercial bus claimed 11 lives, while nine others sustained injuries.
In Jigawa State, two police officers were seriously injured after suspected criminals attacked them with cutlasses during a foot patrol. The suspects escaped, abandoning a cow believed to have been stolen.
Meanwhile, a potentially devastating gas plant emergency was averted in Edo State after a prompt police-led response enabled engineers and firefighters to shut down leaking gas valves, preventing an explosion from escalating.
No casualties or property damage were recorded.
Overall, the nationwide operations led to the arrest of 112 suspects, the recovery of three firearms, 14 rounds of ammunition and one stolen vehicle, while two kidnapped victims were rescued and one suspected kidnapper was neutralised.
The police also recorded six homicide cases, three armed robbery incidents, three cult-related cases, three gender-based violence cases, two kidnapping incidents and three banditry-related attacks across the affected states.
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