Police rescue 1,581 kidnap victims, arrest 30,313 suspects in 2024

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has reeled out its scorecard for the year, saying it rescued1,581 persons and arrested 30,313 suspects in 2024.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun disclosed this on Tuesday at an end-of-year conference with strategic police managers.

He said, “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 offences, including kidnapping, cultism, murder, rape, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms.

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

IGP Egbetokun 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.

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

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