Police arrest 139 suspects, rescue 154 abductees in Abuja crackdown
Police authorities in Abuja have arrested some suspected bandits, and kidnappers, saying they also rescued 154 abductees in the area in two weeks.
Force Spokesman Muyiwa Adejopu said this in a late Friday statement, saying the successes were due to the recent launch of the Special Intervention Squad (SIS) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the wake of worsening security conditions in Abuja.
“The recent launch of the Special Intervention Squad (SIS) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, has further bolstered the security architecture of the FCT leading to the arrest of 139 suspects, recovery of three GPR Chargers, two AK-47 rifles, one Type-06, four locally fabricated guns, one Berretta pistol, two Makarov pistols, 4 locally fabricated pump action guns, 504 pieces of AK-47 ammunition, 100 pieces of AA ammunition, as well as the rescue of 154 kidnapped victims unhurt,” the statement read partly.
READ ALSO: Nigerian police declare same-sex marriage illegal, warn against violation
“Prominent among the recent successes recorded is the interception of a group of persons along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway who were major suppliers of arms and ammunition to bandits operating in Niger, Zamfara, and Kaduna States. In a more recent event, in the early hours of Friday 26th January 2024, men of the IGP-SIS engaged some armed bandits within the FCT-Kaduna axis in a fierce gun battle and neutralised three of them including their gang leader, one Mai-Gemu (aka Gadoro). It is crystal clear that with this operation, the gang and its camp have been destroyed.
“The IGP-SIS operatives on the 21st of January 2024 arrested two major gun-running kingpins who had been supplying locally fabricated arms and various types of ammunition to several assailants operating in the North-Central region of the country. The squad also arrested two kidnappers in the Jikwoyi area of the FCT and recovered several arms and ammunition from them after overwhelming the gang in a gun battle which also led to the rescue of their kidnapped victim,” he said.
