- Safiu Kehinde
Operatives of the Nigerian Police Force have neutralized seven suspected kidnappers while arresting five suspected armed robbers in different operations at Delta and Kaduna states.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
According to the statement, operatives attached to the Delta State Police Command had on the 4th of June, neutralised four suspected kidnappers.
Acting on credible intelligence, the operatives, alongside local vigilantes and anti-cult volunteers, engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel along the Abraka Railway axis which led to the neutralisation of the four suspected kidnappers and the recovery of One AK-47 rifle and thirteen rounds of live ammunition.
In the same vein, operatives of the Delta State Command CP-Special Assignment Team, while conducting an operation along Ughelli – Patani Road, flagged down an approaching shuttle bus by Ewhereni Junction.
Upon sighting the operatives, the occupants of the vehicle reportedly opened fire in a bid to escape, leading to a gun duel.
In the course of the fire exchange, three out of the suspected kidnappers were neutralized with one AK-47 rifle loaded with eighteen (18) rounds of live ammunition recovered from them.
Preliminary investigation would reveal the gang were one of the known kidnapping syndicates terrorizing the state.
In another development, operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command successfully apprehended five individuals belonging to a syndicate of armed robbers.
According to Adejobi, the gang have been terrorising communities in the State for an extended period.
Their capture stemmed from the recovery of a Toyota Hilux stolen on the 28th of May 2025 from the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja.
The suspect identified as Mohammed Kabir, who hailed from Samaru Gusau, Zamfara State, was apprehended following a high-speed pursuit near Zaria town.
His arrest led to the recovery of a Toyota Camry which was found abandoned near the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.
Also recovered was a Honda CR-V following the arrest of one Emmanuel Oliseh, who had stolen the vehicle from Abuja.
Another Toyota Camry (1998 model) was intercepted, leading to the arrest of three suspects, Ibrahim Bala, Abdulsalam Abdullahi, and Abdulraman Muktar, who later confessed to stealing the vehicle from Nasarawa State.
According to Adejobi, Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, commended the officers for their swift response to intelligence, stressing that the successes once again underscored the importance of collaboration between the police and security stakeholders in combating crime in our communities.
The IGP urged members of the public to continually provide timely information to the Police and other security agencies to help keep our country safe.