The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 455 criminal suspects and rescued 27 kidnapped victims in nationwide operations conducted between September 19 and 25, 2026, as police commands and tactical units intensified operations against criminal networks.
The operations also led to the recovery of 15 firearms, 413 rounds of live ammunition and five vehicles, while four armed suspects were neutralized during encounters with police operatives.
According to the Force weekly operational briefing, the operations were conducted under the strategic leadership of the 23rd Indigenous Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu as part of efforts to sustain intelligence-led, proactive and community-collaborative policing across the country.
Among the major successes recorded during the week was the rescue of eight kidnapped victims in Benue State following a commercial bus attack in Ohimini Local Government Area. The victims, who were abducted on September 13, were rescued after an intensive search-and-rescue operation and subsequently evacuated for medical attention and police debriefing.
In Anambra State, police operatives arrested a suspected child trafficker and recovered a six-month-old baby boy who was allegedly stolen. The suspect was intercepted in Oji River, Enugu State, while allegedly travelling with the infant, who was subsequently reunited with his mother.
The Federal Capital Territory recorded the arrest of 334 suspects during coordinated raids conducted across 16 police divisions on identified black spots and criminal hotspots. Quantities of illicit drugs were also recovered, while the suspects are undergoing screening and interrogation.
In Adamawa State, police operatives, working with hunters and Civilian JTF, raided a suspected kidnappers’ den in Shako Forest, Toungo Local Government Area, rescuing two victims and recovering two magazines containing 10 rounds of live ammunition after a gun duel forced the kidnappers to flee.
Twenty suspected cultists, comprising 15 males and five females, were also arrested during a hotel raid in Obiaruku, Delta State, while police in Anambra arrested four suspected members of the outlawed IPOB/ESN group allegedly operating from a forest camp in Ogbaru.
In Katsina State, police operatives foiled an alleged bandit attack along the Kankara-Dutsin-Ma road and rescued seven occupants of a vehicle, including six female university students, after engaging the attackers in a gun duel.
Meanwhile, detectives in Kaduna State intercepted two suspected members of a gun-running syndicate at Zaria Flyover and recovered 300 rounds of live ammunition allegedly being conveyed to a bandit camp.
In Abia State, police arrested a wanted suspected serial armed robber and kidnapper at his residence in Mgboko, Osisioma Local Government Area, while efforts continued to apprehend his alleged accomplices.
Lagos State Police Command also busted an alleged armed robbery gang, arresting four suspects and recovering a pump-action gun, a Beretta pistol and 15 rounds of live ammunition.
The Force said the week’s operations reflected its continued focus on intelligence-driven interventions, rescue operations, firearms recovery and disruption of criminal networks.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Disu, assured Nigerians that the Force would sustain pressure on criminal elements while deepening intelligence-led policing, strengthening community partnerships and improving operational coordination to protect lives and property across the country.
