- Police arrest 2, 175 suspected Kidnappers, armed robbers Recover 834 arms, two rocket launchers
Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, Wednesday called for tougher laws against the crimes of kidnapping, armed banditry and state seizure of assets linked to illicit proceeds from kidnapping and other heinous crimes.
The IG said such laws would stem crimes and criminalities and act as a deterrent to potential kidnappers and other dangerous criminals.
This call is coming as he said the Police arrested 2,175 suspects for kidnapping, armed robbery, murder and cultism and recovered 834 arms and 19, 009 live ammunition, as well as two rocket launchers since the launch of ‘Operation Puff Adder,’ designed to tackle kidnapping and armed banditry.
The IG made the call while addressing a delegation of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Nasarawa State Chapter, led by Alhaji Aminu Muazu Maifata, who paid him the traditional Sallah visit in his official quarters in Abuja.
He noted that the call had become necessary against the increasingly daring resort to these forms of crimes by criminal elements in the society.
The IG said the police had recorded successes in the ongoing fight against criminal elements across the country, noting that since the launch of Operation Puff Adder on April 5, 2019, till date, a total 63 kidnapped victims were rescued unhurt by police operatives.
In the same vein, 2,175 suspects were arrested for the following offences notably kidnapping, 852; armed robbery, 865; murder, 359; and Cultism, 99.
With respect to arms recovery, the IG noted that 834 arms, including two rocket launchers, and 19,009 live ammunition were recovered with Oyo State recording the highest number of 9,500 live ammunition .
The IG stated that the Police were rejigging strategies to ensure proactive interception of illicit weapons destined to the country and at the same time mop up un- authorised weapons in circulation.
According to the IG, “while a good number of the cases are already being prosecuted in courts across the country, many of the cases are still under active investigation owing largely to the complexity of investigating and managing organised crimes”.
While commending his men for a good job, the IG stated that the mind-boggling size of the arrests and arms recovered so far was a testament to the efficacy of Operation Puff Adder and more importantly to the unalloyed and unwavering support of the public to the Nigeria Police and other security agencies, a statement by Force PRO, Frank Mba, said.
