Police Rescued 1,581 Kidnapped Persons In 2024, Says IGP

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Tuesday, December 24th, 2024

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has reeled out its scorecard for the year, saying it recorded significant progress including the rescue of 1,581 persons in 2024.

Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun said this on Tuesday at an end-of-year conference with strategic police managers.

“In the year under review, the Nigeria Police Force achieved major successes in tackling crime, leading to the arrest of 30,313 suspects for a range of serious offenses, including kidnapping, cultism, murder, rape, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms,” IGP Egbetokun told the gathering at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

“In addition, we recovered 1,984 assorted firearms, 23,250 rounds of ammunition, 1,438 stolen vehicles, and rescued 1,581 kidnapped victims.”

He said the police have “intensified our efforts” in the “fight against kidnapping,” leading to “substantial success”.

“A prime example is the rescue of one Nigerian and three Indian nationals on June 30, 2024, in Ogun State,” Egbetokun said. “Despite being ambushed by gunfire, the victims were safely rescued, and two kidnappers were neutralized in a subsequent raid”.

According to the IGP, the police have also made significant progress in their “cybercrime enforcement”.

“Detectives uncovered a major fraud operation, recovering N3.9 billion and arresting individuals linked to a multi-bank scam,” the police boss added. “In November, a coordinated raid led to the capture of 130 suspects, including 113 foreign nationals, involved in global cybercrime operations.”

Though there have been concerns about the welfare of police officers, the IGP said that “remained a top priority”.

Egbetokun said, “the launch of the Nigeria Police Insurance Company aims to improve our officers’ insurance and welfare packages. Over N12 billion in insurance payouts have been distributed to 4,223 beneficiaries of the NPF Group Life Insurance Scheme”.

He thanked officers for their “tireless service” to the Force and promised not “to rest on our laurels” in the coming year, starting from the festive season.

“We are committed to ensuring robust security throughout the holiday period, with heightened vigilance to protect lives and property,” said IGP Egbetokun.