The Nigeria Police Force has disclosed that in the last five weeks, it has detained 288 suspects in armed robberies, 187 suspects in kidnappings, 198 suspects in murder, 59 suspects for possessing illegal firearms, 168 suspects in rape, defilement, and other sexual offense cases, 265 suspects in suspected cult activity, and 1891 other suspects for various crimes.
In addition, 127 firearms of various calibers, 612 different types of ammunition, and 89 stolen vehicles were all found by police across the country during the same time frame. Meanwhile, 71 kidnapped victims were freed unharmed and later reunited with their families and loved ones.
The Central Motor System recorded a total of 1,244 registrations for vehicles over the last five weeks, of which 234 were discovered to have been reported stolen. The police also recovered a total of 89 stolen vehicles during that time. The police high command also noted that 46 stolen vehicles have been found so far out of a total of 89 that have been found, thanks to the quick action of the CMR desk officers working with field agents.
Deputy Inspector Generals of Police, Assistant Inspector Generals of Police, and Commissioners of Police were present at a meeting with strategic police managers on Thursday at Force Headquarters in Abuja, where Olukayode Egbetokun, the acting Inspector-General of Police, announced the development.
The Nigeria Police, he said, have experienced both good and bad times over the last five weeks, but overall crime rates in Nigeria are currently on the decline compared to the previous data, despite pockets of unpleasant incidents being reported in some regions of the nation.
“The accomplishments would not have been possible without the combined efforts of our officers, government support, state government cooperation and assistance, and the support of the general public. In order to combat the various facets of crime and criminality in Nigeria, I must reiterate that the Nigeria Police Force will continue to adopt and embrace modern policing strategies under my leadership.
In addition, he noted that despite the threats of political and socioeconomic instability that accompanied the removal of fuel subsidies and the establishment of post-election tribunals nationwide, the country’s internal security situation had been relatively calm over the previous month or so. He added that, in comparison to the past, the country had seen fewer violent crimes and other serious offenses than in the past.
The past five weeks have seen our dedicated officers uphold law and order with unwavering tenacity, according to Egbetokun. The Nigeria Police Force has successfully disrupted numerous notorious criminal syndicates involved in organized crimes through meticulously planned and well-coordinated operations driven by actionable intelligence, leading to the arrest of 288 armed robbery suspects, 187 kidnap suspects, 198 murder suspects, 59 suspects for possession of prohibited firearms, 168 suspects involved in cases of rape, defilement, and other sexual offenses, 265 suspected cultists, and 1891 suspect
“Overall, 127 firearms of various calibers, 612 rounds of ammunition, and 89 stolen vehicles were found across the country, while 71 kidnapped victims were freed unharmed and later reunited with their families and loved ones during the same five-week period.
“In the interest of public safety and general security, we have established an ad hoc committee to review the licensing and regulations for firearms comprehensively in accordance with the Firearms Act and other existing laws.
In order to improve the efficiency, openness, and accountability of the current firearms licensing procedures and regulations, the committee’s mandate will include a thorough evaluation of them. To ensure a thorough and knowledgeable review, this will be carried out in collaboration with the appropriate stakeholders.
He also cautioned people who were in possession of firearms illegally and urged them to turn those firearms in to the local police station, where they would not be subject to punishment.
“On this note, all people who are involved in the wrongful possession of arms and light weapons are hereby warned to turn in those illegally owned weapons to police at the police stations closest to them. You won’t be punished for this.
“All State Commissioners of Police and supervising Assistant Inspectors General of Police in charge of Zonal Commands, as well as Tactical Commanders, are by this announcement mandated to immediately begin a total clampdown on the illegal manufacture, sales, possession, and use of proscribed firearms in the country.
“All Nigerians are hereby urged to report any suspicious gun-related activity to their neighborhood police stations. In order to receive a swift response and take action, they can also report through the various NPF social media channels.
Speaking about the Special Intervention Squad, Egbetokun stated that a group of 25 trainers and instructors from different police colleges and training schools have been carefully chosen to travel to another country for specialized training. This is in furtherance of his administration’s resolve to make sure that all types of violent crimes in Nigeria are adequately prepared for, identified, and dealt with. It also complies with his earlier directive for the establishment of a 40,000-strong SIS.
Additionally, he pointed out that the Central Motor Registry, which was just automated and implemented, has completely changed how police in the nation respond to the problem of stolen vehicles.
The goal, according to Egbetokun, “is to provide them with pertinent training in the Special Intervention Squad program, a program designed to give our staff members advanced skills and techniques for handling complex security challenges across the nation.
Recognizing the significance of cutting-edge technology in contemporary law enforcement, we have made sizable investments in modernizing our infrastructure and digital capabilities, and these are showing promising results.
“The Central Motor Registry, recently automated and implemented, has revolutionized police response to the challenge of stolen vehicles in the nation. By allowing Nigerians to register their vehicles online, the platform increases the likelihood that these vehicles will be found if they are stolen.
“The CMR platform has registered 1,244 vehicles overall during the period under review, 234 of which were later discovered to have been reported stolen on the platform. 46 stolen vehicles have already been found thanks to the quick action of the CMR desk officers working with the field agents.
The 89 stolen vehicles that have been found in the past five weeks include this one. Aiming to recover everything, efforts are still being made to recover more. In order to ensure the greatest level of security and safety, we hereby encourage the public to visit the platform at cmris.npf.gov.ng and register their vehicles.
