The Nigeria Police Force has rescued seven kidnapped victims, arrested several suspects and recovered firearms in various operations across the country within the past 48 hours.
The operations also recorded the neutralisation of two suspected kidnappers in Imo State, while the Police investigated several cases of murder, kidnapping, culpable homicide, drowning and other violent crimes across 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to an official statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, police operatives in Imo State, acting on credible intelligence, mobilised alongside vigilantes to a forest where two kidnapped victims were being held hostage.
The operatives engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel, resulting in the neutralisation of two suspects, while others reportedly escaped with gunshot injuries. The two kidnapped victims were rescued unharmed, although a vigilante sustained a fatal gunshot injury and later died in hospital.
In Benue State, tactical police operatives, supported by other security personnel and local vigilantes, rescued five kidnapped passengers along the Ankpechi–Omutela highway. The rescuers engaged the abductors in a gun duel before successfully freeing the victims, including a four-year-old child. One of the rescued victims, who sustained a gunshot injury, was evacuated for medical treatment.
The Police also arrested two suspects in Taraba State following credible intelligence on a kidnapping and murder case. Preliminary interrogation allegedly linked the suspects to the abduction of two persons and the fatal shooting of two others at Jimlari Village, Lau Local Government Area.
In Kano State, police operatives arrested a suspect following a shooting at a wedding event in Tudun Yola Bajallabe and recovered the firearm allegedly used in the incident. Four victims were evacuated to hospital, although one was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.
In Adamawa State, operatives arrested a prime suspect following a violent incident at a hotel in Girei Local Government Area. The suspect allegedly confessed to involvement in the killing of a female victim, while the weapon reportedly used in the crime was recovered.
The Police also recorded three arrests in the Federal Capital Territory following the death of a security guard during a reported scuffle with neighbours in Dawaki. The deceased was rushed to a health centre where he was confirmed dead, with the police noting that no visible marks of injury were observed on his body.
In Bauchi State, police patrol teams, local hunters and vigilantes responded to a suspected bandit attack in Sabon Jiri Village, Duguri District, where one person was shot dead and another abducted. Security personnel have commenced intensive operations to rescue the victim and apprehend the perpetrators.
In Osun State, detectives commenced investigation into the alleged ritual killing of an unidentified woman whose lifeless body was discovered inside a church premises in the Obelewo area of Osogbo. Preliminary findings indicated that the woman had been slaughtered and her left wrist severed and taken away by unknown persons. Her remains were deposited at a mortuary for autopsy.
Meanwhile, in Niger State, police operatives recovered the bodies of five persons who died following the capsizing of a canoe in Kudi River, Shaba Woshi Village, Katcha Local Government Area. The remains were subsequently buried according to Islamic rites.
The Force also investigated the drowning of a 14-year-old boy in a canal behind Millennium Park in the FCT. The victim reportedly drowned while attempting to retrieve his shoe during rainfall. His body was recovered and taken to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
The Nigeria Police Force said investigations into the various incidents are ongoing, with the respective State Criminal Investigation Departments and the FCT Criminal Investigation Department handling the cases.
