Nigerian Police Rescue Students, Child, Seize 870 Rounds of Ammunition in Nationwide Raids across multiple states
By Our Correspondent
Nigerian police said they rescued five kidnap victims, arrested 77 suspects and seized hundreds of rounds of ammunition in coordinated raids across 10 states between August 4 and August 6, the latest in a series of operations aimed at curbing rising violent crime.
According to a summary released on Friday, August 7, by Force Public Relations Officer CSP Ani Iniedu, the operations targeted kidnapping gangs, arms traffickers, cult groups and communal militias in the southwest, southeast, north-central and northwest.
The report comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with widespread insecurity, from mass abductions of students to armed banditry and the proliferation of illegal firearms.
The most prominent operation took place in Ogun State, where police said they rescued four kidnapped students unharmed on August 6. The victims were receiving medical care before being reunited with families, police said.
In a separate incident the same day in Ogun, officers rescued one additional kidnap victim. Authorities said efforts were continuing to free other hostages and track the kidnappers.
In Ondo State, anti-kidnapping operatives arrested a suspected kidnapper during a bush combing operation. Police said the suspect confessed and identified other gang members.
Kidnapping for ransom has become a major industry in parts of Nigeria, with schools and highways frequent targets.
In Jigawa State, police said they rescued an abducted child from suspected traffickers and arrested two people alleged to have conspired to sell the child.
In another incident in the state, officers said they exchanged gunfire with armed hoodlums, killing one suspect and recovering a vehicle.
Police reported two significant weapons busts. In Sokoto State, near the border with the Niger Republic, officers intercepted suspected gun-runners on August 5 and seized 870 rounds of 7.62×39mm ammunition and a vehicle.
In Nasarawa State, police arrested a suspect linked to the movement of 251 rounds of AK-47 ammunition.
In a joint operation with local vigilantes, officers also arrested a suspect with a Beretta pistol and ammunition.
In Ebonyi State, southeast Nigeria, 37 suspected cult members were arrested during a raid on an initiation meeting. Officers recovered locally made pistols and cartridges.
A day earlier, they arrested another suspect linked to an abduction and suspected murder, recovering three firearms.
In Akwa Ibom State, detectives intercepted a stolen minibus carrying 12 suspected cultists and recovered a pistol. Five other suspected cultists were arrested two days earlier in a raid where police also seized a POS machine, cash and cannabis.
In Imo State, officers said they stormed a suspected militant hideout, arresting six people and dismantling what they described as a “criminal shrine” with charms and ritual items.
During other operations, in Benue, 22 arrests were made following a communal clash. No deaths were recorded, police said.
In Oyo State, operatives arrested a suspected armed robber and recovered a locally fabricated pistol during “Operation Gbamu.”
In Osun State, police said they arrested a murder suspect.
In Sokoto State, the police recovered a stolen Toyota Corolla and arrested one suspect.
All cases have been transferred to State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation, police said.
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