The Kaduna State Police Command has said it had killed 21 armed bandits and rescued 206 kidnapped victims in the last nine months.
It also said it had arrested 780 suspected criminals and recovered 1,408 arms and ammunition.
The state Commissioner of Police, Yekini Ayoku, made this known during the Command’s 2022 end-of-year press briefing in Kaduna on Wednesday.
According to him, the arrest, recoveries and killings of the criminal elements were parts of the Command’s achievements in the last nine months.
Ayoku, who is the 40th Kaduna State Police Commissioner also disclosed that 116 of the 780 arrested suspects have been convicted, while 1,446 rustled livestock were recovered at different parts of the State within the period under review.
“Upon assumption of duty as the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State on 8th April 2022, which was on the heels of the incident of train attack of 28th March 2022 between Dutse Village – Rijana along Abuja – Kaduna rail track and the earlier security breach within the Kaduna International Airport general area, the need for the urgent safeguard of commuters/road users especially along Kaduna – Abuja expressway in the absence of a functional rail and commercial air operation was considered paramount and imperative.
“With these challenges met on ground, there was thus no time to spare and I had to immediately and swiftly review and rejig existing architecture, crime map the state, re-strategize and mobilise all operational, tactical and intelligence resources and deploy same massively cognisant of the crimes prevalent in the different areas of the State.
“For obvious reasons as stated earlier, the Abuja – Kaduna highway was prioritised with heavy motorized and static patrols complemented by military backup and aerial patrol and surveillance from the Force Headquarters.
“The objective was to keep the road open and safe for travellers being, as at that time, the only major means of accessing Kaduna and other north-western states from Abuja and the southern part of the Country.
” This objective was achieved as throughout the period under review, the Command was able to minimize any form of security breach/threat on the highway through the stated upgrade in visibility policing and prompt response to distress calls.
“While checkmating attacks and ensuring safety on all major connecting highways, the Command’s inner city patrols and crime prevention and control operations aimed at combating criminal activities within our various cities and communities were equally intensified.
“The seven Area Commands and 61 Divisions were specifically tasked to leverage Community Policing Strategy by strengthening Police-Community Partnership in discharging their constitutional mandate of ensuring public safety and security in their respective areas of responsibility,” the CP said.
He, however, listed the breakthrough and achievements of the Command within the period under review to include; the arrest of 780 suspected bandits and other criminal elements and recovery of 1,408 arms and ammunition.
The CP noted that “780 suspects were arrested in connection with various forms of crimes, saying, “a total number, 116 suspects were convicted. 206 Kidnapped Victims were rescued. 49 Rifles/Guns were recovered. 1,359 rounds of live ammunition were recovered. While seventeen (17) Bandits’ Operational Motorcycles were recovered.
“Also, 21 Armed Bandits were neutralized. 1,446 rustled livestock were recovered at different parts of the State, while 15 bags of dry leaves suspected to be Indian Hemp were intercepted,” CP Ayoku said.
