The Nigeria Police Force has rescued five kidnapped victims and arrested at least 17 suspects linked to murder, armed robbery, cultism, illegal possession of firearms and attempted child theft in coordinated operations across several states.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the operations were carried out within the last 24 hours.
In Zamfara State, police tactical teams engaged armed bandits during a pursuit operation and rescued five kidnap victims comprising the wife of a local government chairman and her four children.
According to the statement, the victims have been reunited with their family, while joint security operations are ongoing to rescue the remaining abductees and recover police rifles stolen by the attackers.
It added that the State Criminal Investigation Department in Gusau had commenced an investigation.
In Enugu State, community security operatives reportedly engaged suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, during a patrol.
The police said one suspected IPOB/ESN member was killed during a gun duel, while the SCID and the Violent Crime Response Unit were investigating the incident.
The command also arrested three suspects over an attempted child theft case, with investigations continuing.
In Benue State, police arrested two suspects over a fatal stabbing, while another suspect was taken into custody for allegedly killing his father.
Similarly, Bauchi State Police Command arrested a suspect in connection with a stabbing incident and said efforts were ongoing to apprehend an accomplice who fled the scene.
In Ekiti State, police rescued two suspected armed robbers from a mob and took them into custody for investigation.
The command also recovered a suspected operational vehicle allegedly used by the suspects.
In Imo State, police arrested seven suspected cult members during stop-and-search operations.
The police recovered a locally fabricated pistol, a live cartridge and hard drugs from the suspects, who reportedly confessed to cult-related activities.
The statement added that efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the gang.
In Katsina State, police recovered an AK-47 rifle, three rounds of live ammunition and an operational motorcycle abandoned by fleeing bandits during patrol operations.
According to the police, visibility patrols have been intensified to track down the fleeing suspects.
In Delta State, intelligence-led and patrol operations led to the arrest of two suspects for unlawful possession of firearms.
The police recovered a Beretta pistol from one suspect and a cut-to-size single-barrel gun from another.
Ani said all the cases were under investigation by the respective State Criminal Investigation Departments.
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