The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, on Tuesday said the Nigerian Police between June and July 2025, it arrested 5,488 suspected criminals and rescued 170 kidnap victims across the country.
According to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the IGP stated this during a strategic meeting with Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), Assistant Inspectors General (AIGs), and state Commissioners of Police at the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Peacekeeping Building, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
He said the of 5,488 criminal suspects for various offences including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, homicide and murder.
He also disclosed that the police recovered 316 assorted firearms, 2,884 rounds of ammunition; and 216 stolen/unregistered vehicles were also recovered during the period.
The statement further said that “In Kogi State on June 23, police operatives repelled a kidnapping attempt on three commercial vehicles, rescuing 24 victims after a gun battle.
“In Benue State, two separate July operations led to the arrests of arms traffickers and the recovery of multiple AK-47 rifles, a rocket launcher, and over 2,200 rounds of ammunition.
“In Edo State, 14 kidnapped victims were rescued through a joint police-vigilante operation on July 11.
In Taraba, swift police intervention foiled the abduction of 17 bus passengers near Wukari.
“In a cross-state manhunt, suspects involved in the January 2025 murder of Chinese national Mr. Chen Wang were tracked and arrested in Plateau and Ogun States.”
He however charged the senior officers to renew their commitment to crime fighting, as leadership roles are not ceremonial but earned by lifesaving decisions which keep our country safe. He further emphasized the need for Commands and Formations to showcase operational results of the Police at their various levels, so as to intimate Nigerians of the Police unrelentness in the mandate to ensure public safety. Also, he urged officers to be proactive in responding to potential threats, stressing the need for the Force to be abreast of changes in the dynamics of crime by implementing intelligence-led strategies and leveraging technology to enhance crime-fighting capabilities.
The IGP again reaffirmed the commitment of the leadership to the Force to improved welfare packages for both serving and retired Police officers, which remains a forefront of his administration’s institutional reform agenda.
The conference ended with a renewed vigor from all senior officers to implement the Policies of the IGP towards crime prevention, while reassuring Nigerians of continual engagement at grass root level to ensure a safe and secured Nigeria.
