The Nigeria Police has recorded over 2,300 arrests in various raids conducted across the country from February 2025 to date.
The amount was broken down as follows: 602 armed robbery suspects, 385 abduction suspects, 557 murder/homicide suspects, 215 people in illicit possession of firearms, 286 rape suspects, and 276 suspected cult members.
Muyiwa Adejobi, the police spokesman, told media in Abuja on Monday that operatives had also seized 333 guns, 6,422 rounds of ammunition in various calibres, and 200 stolen cars.
He went on to say that these activities resulted in the rescue of 324 kidnapped victims.
Adejobi said, “Focusing on operations conducted from February 2025 to date, the Nigeria Police Force has made substantial progress in combating crime across the nation. Numerous arrests were made in connection with various heinous crimes.
“The Force recorded the arrest of 602 armed robbery suspects, 385 kidnapping suspects, 557 murder/homicide suspects, 215 suspects connected with the unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, 286 rape suspects, 276 suspected cultists and the recovery of 333 various firearms and 6422 ammunition of various calibres. The Force was also able to recover 200 stolen vehicles and rescue 324 victims of kidnapping.
“On display in today’s briefing are several exhibits connected to these crimes, including 89 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, 6 AK-47 rifles, 1 AK-49 rifle, 1 Israeli pump-action rifle, 2 pump-action rifles, and 1 single-barrel rifle.”
Adejobi highlighted one of the high-profile incidents, stating that operatives caught eight kidnappers along the Kogi-Edo border.
He named the suspects as Tukur Salisu, Sani Abubakar, Mamud Sani, Umar Abdullahi, Salisu Mohammed, Salisu Usman, Bashir Audu, and Jibril Haruna.
He said, “On 11/3/2025 at about 1830 hrs, operatives of IRT en route to Edo State on special duty at Oshara Ganden, a boundary between Kogi and Edo states, ran into an ambush by kidnappers.
“The operatives employed their operational prowess to overpower the armed-to-the-teeth kidnappers, arrested eight of them and recovered from them 1 AK-47 rifle with 29 rounds of ammunition, 1 new Israeli pump-action rifle with four rounds of cartridges, two pump-action with seven rounds of cartridges, a single barrel with two cartridges and two operational motorcycles.”