The Nigeria Police Force has apprehended a total of 186 suspected kidnappers in October, according to the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
In addition to these kidnappers, police also arrested 371 suspects for armed robbery, 242 for murder and homicide, and 63 individuals linked to unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.
The crackdown also led to the detention of 217 rape suspects and 167 suspected cultists during the same period.
While addressing the media in Abuja on Wednesday, Adejobi announced that police operatives successfully rescued 64 kidnap victims across the nation throughout October.
He further revealed that during this operation, law enforcement recovered 210 various firearms, 3,172 rounds of ammunition of different calibres, and 118 stolen vehicles.
Breaking down the arrests, Adejobi reported that the Delta State Command captured 52 suspects, including 34 alleged kidnappers, 12 suspected cultists, two fraudsters, and four gunrunners.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), police tracked down and arrested four notorious kidnappers who had been terrorizing the area.
The arrested suspects, identified as Yau Sani (a.k.a. Baba), Nuhu (a.k.a. Giwa), Kabiru Mohammed, and Yusuf Hassan, confessed to their involvement in numerous kidnappings and the killings of seven victims.
Adejobi stated that the gang had perpetrated attacks in Dakwa, Dawaki, Aco Estate, Dupe Village at Zuma Rock, and Kuchiko village, as well as in several communities in Niger and Kaduna states.
Additionally, the suspects led police operatives to a hideout in Gauraka Forest in Suleja, Niger State, where law enforcement uncovered four AK-47 rifles, 13 AK-47 magazines, and 162 rounds of live ammunition.
In a separate operation on October 25, the Borno State Command arrested six suspected kidnappers in Chingowa Village, identified as Modu Bindimi, Koso Modu Gana, Kassim Bulama, Isah Muhammed, Zarami Fantami, and Modu Bunu.
The suspects were found with a pump-action rifle, a live cartridge, and dangerous weapons, along with N2,637,000 in cash. Upon interrogation, they admitted to being responsible for various armed robberies and kidnappings in Magumeri and Konduga local government areas, as well as extorting money from villagers to protect them from further criminal activities.
