Police Rescue 10 Kidnap Victims, Recover Stolen Arms in Nationwide Operations
The Nigeria Police Force has recorded significant breakthroughs in its efforts to tackle violent crime across the country, rescuing ten kidnapped victims, recovering stolen arms, and arresting notorious criminal suspects in separate operations.
According to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the operations took place in Katsina, Taraba, and Anambra States between April 17 and 19, 2025.
In Katsina State, operatives of the Faskari Division foiled a kidnap attempt along the Funtua-Gusau highway on April 19. Acting on credible intelligence, the officers engaged suspected bandits in a gun battle, forcing them to flee with gunshot wounds. Ten victims, including two drivers and eight passengers, were rescued unhurt and later reunited with their families.
Similarly, in Taraba State, police operatives attached to the State Intelligence Department, working with local vigilantes, arrested a notorious criminal suspect, Umar Ahmad, during a stop-and-search operation in Jalingo on April 18. The 40-year-old suspect, who had been on the police wanted list, later led investigators to Mayo Faran Village, a border community between Taraba and Adamawa States, where two AK-47 rifles, eight magazines, and 39 rounds of live ammunition were recovered.
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Further investigation revealed that one of the recovered rifles belonged to the Taraba State Police Command and had been carted away during an ambush in 2023, which resulted in the death of ASP Aminu Nuhu of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad.
In a related development, officers from the Fegge Divisional Headquarters in Anambra State intercepted a suspicious shuttle bus along Port Harcourt Road, Upper Iweka, Onitsha, on April 17. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of five pump-action guns, eight live cartridges, and two handcuffs concealed inside a bag of rice. The vehicle is currently undergoing forensic examination as efforts are ongoing to track down the suspects.
Later that day, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad and Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Anambra State Command arrested a suspect, Israel Akachukwu, 25, at his residence on Ezeigwe Street, Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area. A search of his apartment yielded two pump-action guns, two live cartridges, a cutlass, an axe, and a dagger. Akachukwu confessed to being a member of the Vikings Confraternity and is assisting police in ongoing investigations.
Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, commended the officers for their professionalism and dedication, stating that the successes demonstrate the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing strategies being adopted by the Force.
The IGP also reaffirmed the police’s commitment to protecting the lives and property of Nigerians and urged members of the public to continue supporting law enforcement efforts by providing timely and useful information.
By PRNigeria
