The Nigeria Police Force has intensified its nationwide offensive against violent crime, rescuing 95 kidnapped victims, arrested 161 suspects and recovered 27 firearms with 396 rounds of assorted live ammunition in coordinated operations conducted across the country between July 27 and August 2, 2026.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu Anipr, disclosed the achievements on Saturday during a press briefing at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, saying the successes were recorded under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
According to him, the 161 suspects were arrested for offences ranging from terrorism, banditry and kidnapping to armed robbery, cultism and other violent crimes. The operations also led to the recovery of five vehicles, several rustled cattle and the neutralisation of eight notorious criminals during separate encounters with security operatives.
Highlighting the week’s rescue operations, the police said sustained intelligence-led bush-combing and rapid-response missions secured the freedom of 95 kidnapped victims across different parts of the country.
In Sokoto State, tactical operatives led by the Divisional Police Officer of Rabah, supported by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Violent Crime Response Unit, engaged heavily armed bandits in a fierce gun battle at Maikujera Village in Rabah Local Government Area on July 28. The criminals fled into the forest after abandoning 32 kidnapped victims and rustled livestock.
The rescued victims comprised six adult males and 26 females, most of them children. Police said they were taken to a secure location where they are receiving medical attention and psychological support before being reunited with their families.
In Rivers State, a joint operation involving police operatives and local vigilantes raided a criminal hideout in the Kom-Kom/Afam Forest, arresting two suspected kidnappers and rescuing four victims without the payment of ransom.
In Enugu State, security operatives neutralised a suspected kidnapper and rescued a 45-year-old woman, Mrs. Asadu Callista, near the Kogi boundary. In Imo State, two kidnapped victims were rescued in Owerri and their vehicle recovered.
Police also reported that in Kano State, nine of the 13 passengers abducted from a commercial bus were rescued after operatives engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel. Efforts are continuing to rescue the remaining four victims.
The Force also recorded significant successes in its campaign against illegal arms. A total of 27 firearms and 396 rounds of assorted live ammunition were recovered during the week.
Among the weapons recovered were an AK-47 rifle and a submachine gun seized from a gang armourer in Rivers State, a pump-action rifle and a hand grenade recovered in Abia State, an English-made Makarov pistol with 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition recovered from a suspect posing as a foreign police officer, and five magazines loaded with 40 rounds of ammunition recovered in Sokoto State.
The police further disclosed that eight hardened criminals were neutralised during separate operations, including two bandits in Benue State and a kidnapper in Enugu State. Security operatives also repelled a reprisal attack by about 100 armed bandits in Katsina State, inflicting heavy casualties on the criminals.
However, the Force said it lost one vigilante member in Katsina State and a personnel of a sister security agency in Plateau State during the operations.
On major arrests, the police said operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit uncovered an Indian hemp plantation in Ekiti State, leading to the arrest of five suspects.
In Ondo State, police arrested two kidnappers who allegedly hijacked a Lexus RX350 and demanded a ₦15 million ransom. The stolen vehicle and weapons used in the operation were recovered.
In Oyo State, a suspected notorious kidnapper identified as Aruna Amidu, popularly known as “Change,” was also arrested.
The Force also expressed concern over recent security incidents across the country, including the fatal shooting of Rev. Father Samuel Opeyemi in Kogi State, the abduction of three female students in Nasarawa State by gunmen dressed in immigration camouflage, the killing of four residents by armed men in Niger State and incidents of mob justice in Jigawa State, which it strongly condemned.
Police also confirmed that four persons were killed during the initial bandit attack on Maikujera Village in Sokoto State before security operatives arrived at the scene.
The Inspector-General of Police extended condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and assured Nigerians that all fleeing perpetrators would be tracked down and brought to justice.
Beyond operational successes, the police announced a major institutional reform with the establishment of a new Proceeds of Crime Section headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing operations within the Force.
As part of the reform initiative, the IGP also met with Hafsat Bakari, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, to expand financial intelligence training as Nigeria enforces sanctions against 54 designated terror financiers under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The police said the week’s achievements underscore the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and strengthened inter-agency collaboration, reaffirming the Force’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the country.
The Force also appealed to Nigerians to continue providing credible intelligence to security agencies and to refrain from taking the law into their own hands through mob justice.
