AISHA ABUBAKAR
As part of the ongoing drive to safeguard the country from the activities of criminal elements under the visionary leadership of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun Ph.D., NPM, the Nigeria Police Force has made salient achievements in combating crimes across the country over the past five (5) weeks in its bid to make crime less attractive and ensuring the safety of all citizens leading to the arrest of 385 armed robbery suspects, 238 kidnapping suspects, 341 murder/homicide suspects, 87 suspects connected with unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, 143 rape suspects, 151 cultism suspects. Also, the police have recovered 143 firearms of various calibres, 741 ammunitions, and 72 stolen vehicles, as well as the rescue of 461 kidnapped victims across the country.
Amongst the pivotal cases, on 4th March, 2024, a team from Operation Zenda Joint Task Force, acting on credible intelligence, invaded an arms manufacturing hideout at Amahundu, Nanev, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State and arrested nine (9) suspects including a Cameroonian. Exhibits recovered from them include 8 Barretta Pistols under fabrication, 1 AK-47 rifle, 10 AK47 live ammunition, 5 Barretta pistol ammunition, four (4) welding gas cylinders and other fabrication materials.
In the same vein, operatives of the FCT Command on 24th February, 2024, acting upon credible intelligence stormed Sardauna, Toto forests and arrested one Samaila Wakili Fafa AKA Habu Ibrahim, a kidnap kingpin on the Command wanted list with a bounty placed on him by the Honourable Minister of the FCT. He confessed to several killings done by himself and his gang, including the abduction of one Barr Chris Agidy, the legal aide to Senator Ned Nwoko and Mr Sunday Yahaya Zakwai, the village head of Ketti Village who were both killed by him. He led operatives to where he buried the remains of the Late Barr Agidy whose corpse was exhumed and deposited at Gwagwalada General Hospital.
The Nigeria Police Force, recognizing the essential role of officer welfare in enhancing service delivery, has taken strategic steps to ensure that officers and men of the Force are adequately catered to. Some of the recent activities of the Force in this regard include the swift disbursement of insurance packages to families of fallen policemen within the past 9 months, amounting to 7.2 billion Naira, the Police Awards and Commendation Ceremony scheduled for April 15th, 2024, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, the NPF Housing Summit scheduled for April 22nd to 23rd, 2024, with focus on viable housing solutions and the launch of the Police Fund to support officers’ accommodation needs.
The Inspector General of Police, while emphasizing the importance of improving officer welfare and morale, as it directly correlates with effective service delivery and crime prevention, also urged all landlords and employers of domestic staff in the Federal Capital Territory, and by extension other states of the Federation, to ensure they visit police stations within their areas to request for, and fill forms for proper profiling of intended employees/tenants for employment and tenancy purposes so as to strengthen the capacity of the NPF to identify and deter potential threats within the FCT.