Notwithstanding the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nigeria Police Force reocrded a huge success in 2020 as it got 21,296 notorious criminals into its net even as it recovered 3,347 firearms, 133,496 ammunition and 960 stolen vehicles. Some 1,002 kidnap victims were also safely rescued and reunited with their families.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, revealed this while reviewing the scorecard of police operations at the Force CID and Force Intelligence Bureau, Abuja.
A release by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ffrank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, highlighted the big fishes among the arrested suspects.
Among them is one Abubakar Umaru a.k.a Buba Bargu, a 35-year-old native of Kato Shiroro area of Niger State who was nabbed by operatives of the Special Tactical Squad, STS. Abubakar, according to the release, is a member and armourer of a gang responsible for many kidnap-for-ransom operations along the Lokoja-Abuja/Abuja-Kaduna highways and other major highways in the North Central states.
The group, Mba further stated, “carried out the abduction of one Mohammed Ahmadu a.k.a CONFIRM ‘m’, 30 years, a kidnap kingpin and leader of another notorious kidnapping group in the North Central when he came to their hideout in the forest to sell live ammunition to the group. He was held and shot in the hand until his gang members paid a ransom of One Million, Five Hundred and Fifty-five Thousand Naira (N1,555,000.00) only for his release. Five (5) AK47 rifles, five (5) magazines and 120 rounds of AK47 ammunition were recovered from Abubakar Umaru at his hideout in the forest.”
Similarly, Mba continued, police operatives arrested five members of an armed robbery syndicate who have their criminal network and base across Edo, Delta, Ondo and Lagos States. The suspects-Godspower Ebogie, Samede Miracle, Efosa Rowland, a.k.a Double, Michael Ifeanyi Egwuatu and Ifeanyi Ewurum, a.k.a Rati, were arrested at various locations. They were allegedly linked to several cases of armed robbery and car snatching at gunpoint under investigations by the police. Two Toyota Camry Saloon cars (2006 and 2014 models), snatched from Mr. Osayuwamen Isokpan and Mr Harrison Eribo in Benin, Edo State, on June 26, 2020 and July 5, 2020 respectively were recovered from the gang. The cars have since been released to their owners.
All the suspects will be charged to court on conclusion of investigations, Mmba informed.
Meanwhile, the IGP, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has assured Nigerians of improved security in the year 2021. The IGP stressed that the Force will be unrelenting in the fight against all forms of crimes especially kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry, cultism, cybercrime, sexual/gender-based violence (SGBV), amongst others, in the country in 2021.
Adamu, Mba continued in the statement, assured that the Force “will implement aggressive, proactive, intelligence-driven and community-based crime fighting strategies in its quests to make the country safer. The Force, he promised, will take the battle to the door steps of the criminals and also expand its collaboration with both citizens and other law enforcement agencies in its bid to flush out criminal elements in the country.
The IGP was full of praises for the Police Teams for their dedication to duty which resulted in the successes recorded. While appreciating the citizens for their support so far, Adamu called for improved partnership and collaboration between the citizens and the Police, particularly in the area of providing useful information the Police require in tackling crimes and apprehending unrepentant criminals.