By Our Reporter
The Nigeria Police Force has rescued 42 kidnapped victims and arrested 96 suspects in intelligence-led operations conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory between September 26 and October 2, 2026.
The operations also led to the recovery of 16 firearms, 31 rounds of live ammunition and 16 vehicles, while two armed suspects were killed during encounters with security operatives.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Ineidu, disclosed the figures on Sunday in the Force’s latest operational report, saying the operations were conducted under the strategic leadership of Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
Ineidu said the arrests were linked to various offences, including kidnapping, armed robbery, homicide, banditry, cultism, terrorism, cattle rustling and other criminal activities.
He said the results went beyond statistics, stressing that the operations had rescued victims, disrupted criminal networks and improved security in affected communities.
In Sokoto State, police operatives, tactical teams and Nigerian Army personnel foiled a bandit attack and rescued 30 kidnapped victims.
According to the report, the bandits blocked Katuru Village Junction and attacked vehicles conveying passengers returning from the weekly market at Tidibale Village before abducting them.
Security operatives engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to retreat into a nearby forest and abandon their victims.
The 30 victims were rescued unhurt, while two people who sustained gunshot wounds were taken to hospital for treatment.
In Rivers State, operatives attached to the Eliozu Division intercepted a suspected kidnapping gang following a high-speed chase towards Rumuokoro.
The police rescued a kidnapped victim and arrested one suspect. An AK-47 rifle, three rounds of live ammunition and a tricycle were also recovered.
In Gombe State, a joint operation involving the police, military, Department of State Services, hunters and vigilantes in Ribado Ward, through Bajoga in Funakaye Local Government Area, resulted in the arrest of four suspects and rescue of two kidnapped victims.
Three motorcycles were recovered during the operation, while pressure from security forces reportedly forced fleeing gang members to release another victim the following day.
Security operatives in Kogi State rescued a telecoms worker abducted by armed kidnappers dressed in military camouflage.
The victim was among members of a telecoms mast maintenance team abducted in the Kabba area. Four members of the team had escaped, leaving the rescued worker in captivity.
Security forces continued bush-combing and rescue operations, eventually forcing the kidnappers to flee after teargas was deployed.
In Ondo State, operatives of the State Intelligence-led Violent Crime Response Unit arrested two suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate in Akure.
The suspects allegedly confessed to belonging to a four-man gang operating in Akure and neighbouring areas.
A raid on their hideout in the Olufoam area led to the recovery of a locally made four-round revolver, criminal charms, a laptop, motorcycle mirrors and a vehicle number plate.
A third suspect was arrested the following day, while efforts were continuing to apprehend the remaining member of the gang.
In Delta State, police rescued a 23-year-old woman who had been abducted and held for ransom.
The woman was reportedly kidnapped on September 27, with her abductors demanding N245,000 for her release.
Following a report to the Anti-Vice Squad in Asaba, operatives tracked the suspects to their hideout, rescued the victim and arrested six suspects—three males and three females.
In Anambra State, 13 suspected cultists were arrested during a joint operation by the police and Agunechemba vigilante operatives in Okpoko.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of September 28 following credible intelligence, also resulted in the recovery of suspected cannabis sativa, other illicit substances and six motorcycles.
In Katsina State, police tactical teams foiled an attempted kidnapping along the Funtua-Zaria Highway at Dankawo Village.
The suspects had reportedly blocked the highway to abduct commuters when operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, APC tactical teams and personnel of the 83 Police Mobile Force engaged them in a gun battle.
The attackers fled into the bush, while subsequent combing operations led to the rescue of four kidnapped victims found inside a truck.
Police said efforts were ongoing to determine the whereabouts of the truck driver and motor boy and arrest the fleeing suspects.
In a separate operation in Katsina, police recovered 159 electric detonators suspected to be components of improvised explosive devices during a stop-and-search operation along the Daura-Kongolam-Maiadua road.
The detonators were allegedly found in two bags inside a Toyota bus travelling from Kano towards Kongolam in Niger Republic.
The 70-year-old driver was arrested after allegedly failing to provide a satisfactory explanation for the items.
Police said investigations were ongoing to establish the source, destination and intended use of the detonators and identify possible accomplices.
In Benue State, police arrested a suspected cultist accused of threatening people with a firearm at a market square in Aliade.
A search of the suspect led to the recovery of an English pistol with five rounds of live ammunition, a locally fabricated pistol with four cartridges and charms.
Ineidu said all suspects arrested during the operations remained in custody as investigations continued.
He added that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the criminal groups.
The police spokesman reaffirmed the commitment of the Force to deepening intelligence-led policing, strengthening collaboration with communities and other security agencies, and sustaining operational pressure against criminal networks.
He assured Nigerians that the police would continue to protect lives and property, respond to threats to public safety and ensure that criminal suspects are brought to justice.