In a groundbreaking success recorded by the police, a total of 139 suspects were arrested, while 154 kidnap victims have been rescued in two weeks.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a statement on Friday added that 17 arms and 604 ammunition were also recovered within the period.
Adejobi attributed the success to recent launch of the Special Intervention Squad (SIS) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun.
He said the launch of the squad has further bolstered the security architecture of the FCT leading to the arrest of 139 suspects.
Three GPR Chargers, 2 AK-47 rifles, 1 Type-06, 4 locally fabricated guns, 1 Berretta pistol, 2 Makarov pistols, 4 locally fabricated pump action guns, 504 pieces of AK-47 ammunition and 100 pieces of AA ammunition were recovered while 154 kidnapped victims were rescued unhurt.
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 3 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,” Adejobi said.
He added that the IGP-SIS operatives on the 21st of January arrested 2 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 2 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.
The IGP reiterated that the SIS will be launched beyond the FCT to other states across the country for effective security management in the country.
He also ordered the tactical deployment of several operatives of the IGP-SIS to areas within the FCT still grappling with security breaches to combat every form of criminality that might surface.
