Nigeria police arrest 1,198 suspects, rescue 166 kidnap victims

Nigeria's Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, announced that nationwide anti-crime operations between June 9 and June 21, 2026, led to the arrest of 1,198 suspects and the rescue of 166 kidnap victims. The operations also resulted in the recovery of 166 firearms, 1,475 rounds of ammunition, and 47 stolen vehicles.

“

Since 9th June 2026, anti-crime operations across the Federation have led to the arrest of 1,198 suspects for various offences. That figure breaks down as follows: 151 suspects for murder and culpable homicide, 117 for armed robbery, 151 for kidnapping, and 104 suspected cultists. A further 169 persons were arrested for unlawful possession of firearms.

The arrested suspects face charges for various offenses, including murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and cultism. Disu emphasized that these successes were achieved through the dedication of police personnel, often at personal risk.

“

Our operations also led to the rescue of 166 kidnap victims. We recovered 166 assorted firearms and 1,475 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, along with 47 stolen vehicles.

A particular success highlighted was the rescue of abducted students and teachers in Oyo State. Disu described this operation as a prime example of effective collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Armed Forces, other security agencies, and the public. He credited "careful planning, honest inter-agency cooperation and good intelligence work" for the safe return of the victims.

“

The successful rescue of the abducted students and teachers in Oyo State deserves particular mention. It is a clear example of what we can achieve when Nigeria’s security agencies work together with a genuine sense of common purpose.

Despite these achievements, Disu warned senior officers against operational complacency. He urged them to use successes as motivation to improve rather than relax, stressing that the security environment in Nigeria remains challenging. The IGP called for a shift from routine deployments to dynamic, threat-informed strategies tailored to specific jurisdictions to address ongoing threats like terrorism and kidnapping.

“

The operation succeeded because of close collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Armed Forces of Nigeria, other security and intelligence agencies, and members of the public who came forward with timely, credible information.