The police on Thursday said 545 suspected kidnappers, armed robbers had been arrested, 105 assorted weapons and a large cache of ammunition recovered since January, assuring Nigerians of new strategies to take the criminals off circulation.

Among the strategies adopted, The Nation gathered was a stronger partnership with telecommunication operators for easy tracking of criminal gangs and their sponsors.

Already, reforms have commenced in operations, intelligence, investigation, training, science and technology and innovation (STI), and monitoring and evaluation within the service, it was learnt.

It was gathered that a total of 261 suspected kidnappers, 535 armed robbers, 326 murder suspects have been arrested and 361 firearms plus large cache of arms recovered since Adamu assumed duty as acting IG with some of them already charged to court.

A statement Thursday by police spokesman Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner (DCP) said the adopted strategies would be purposeful and intelligence-driven, targeted at identifying, locating and dismantling kidnapping gangs across the nation and bringing the perpetrators, their collaborators to justice.

“The operation will involve the deployment of undercover operatives, decoy operations and high-level tactical missions with active participation of operatives drawn from the conventional police units, the Force Intelligence Unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS), the Special Anti-kidnapping Squads and the Police Tactical Units comprising the Police Mobile Force (PMF), the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) and the Special Forces.

“The IGP, while commending the public for their understanding and support so far, reassures the nation that the end to violent crimes and other sundry criminal activities is in sight.

“He promised that the Force under his leadership will continue to work with other relevant stakeholders in the task of making Nigeria safer and better,” Mba said.

Mba also disclosed that operatives deployed for Operation PUFF ADDER on May 5, rescued 27 kidnapped victims including five Chinese who were whisked away at Bobi, Niger State on April 19 in an operation that left two of the criminals dead.

The other 22 hostages were rescued in Zamfara State and other parts of the country.

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“The Chinese citizens who were earlier kidnapped on April 15, in Bobi, Niger State were safely and successfully rescued on May 5, 2019 from a forest in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, following painstaking investigative efforts, including both air and ground surveillance.

“22 other kidnap victims were rescued in Zamfara State and other parts of the country.

“Between January and the first week of May, a total of 270 suspected kidnappers, 275 suspected armed robbers were arrested and 105 assorted weapons plus a large cache of ammunition recovered,” he said.

These assurances came on the heels of revelations by the acting Inspector General of Police (IG) Mohammed Adamu recently that 1,071 have been killed across the country this year with 767 of the total figure emanating from the north.

Speaking at the quarterly Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council meeting held in Kaduna on April 30, Adamu had disclosed that 436 of the killings occurred in the northwest, 250 in north-central and 130 in the south. Zamfara State currently plagued by armed banditry topped the list with 203 killings and 281 kidnap and 18 armed robbery cases.

“The North-Central geopolitical zone with a total of 81 armed robbery cases represents the zone with the highest rate while Niger State, the FCT and Zamfara State with 32, 23 and 18 cases, respectively occupy the three topmost states in the national armed robbery profile,” Adamu told the gathering.

Irked by the realities, the IG who assured Nigerians of new approaches to contain insecurity, disclosed that the strategies would complement efforts of ongoing Operation PUFF ADDER. (The Nation)

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