Police arrest 225 suspects, recover 466 rustled animals in Katsina 

Police arrest 225 suspects, recover 466 rustled animals in Katsina 

The Katsina Police Command has arrested 225 suspects for various crimes, including banditry, kidnapping, rape and murder in the month of May 2026, spokesman of the command, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu has said.

Aliyu said while addressing journalists on Thursday in Katsina on the command’s operational successes in May 2026.

He attributed the success to the command’s intelligence-led operations, inter-agency collaboration, and sustained patrols across identified hotspots.

“In total, 150 major cases were reported and acted upon, with 109 cases already charged to court for prosecution upon conclusion of investigations,” he added.

“The command successfully rescued 17 kidnapped victims. The victims have since been debriefed, medically examined, and reunited with their families.”

Aliyu gave a breakdown of the cases to include 7 suspected kidnappers, 10 armed robbers,  one armed bandit, 2 suspected informants, and 21 persons involved in drug peddling.

Also arrested were 10 suspects for murder and culpable homicide, 36 persons involved in rape and sodomy, 13 miscreants, and 130 suspects for other criminal offences.

He also listed items recovered from the suspects, which comprised 466 rustled animals, 3 motor vehicles, 22 motorcycles, ⁠4 bags of Vandalized Span Wire, 141 pieces of Exhole tablets, 190 sachet of Diazaparm, 170 wraps of Indian hemp, ⁠49 D5 Tablet, 133 Paragablin Tabs, and ⁠5 packs of Dexametason 6 million pieces

The command spokesman said all recovered exhibits are in custody and will be tendered in court as evidence.

Meanwhile, the Command has launched the Violent Crime Response Unit, mandated to deny freedom of action to criminals, and maintain intelligence-led operations.

“Community-policing engagements were sustained across communities to enhance local trust and intelligence flow.

“These achievements were made possible through sustained collaboration with sister security agencies in joint security operations. Joint patrols and real-time intelligence sharing have significantly improved our response time and operational effectiveness across Katsina State.

“In conclusion, while we acknowledge these gains, the Command is fully aware that more work remains to be done and we are not resting on these achievements.”