Police arrest murder, kidnapper, armed robbery suspects in nationwide operations
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Nigeria Police Force has announced a series of arrests and recoveries in coordinated operations across eight states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), targeting suspects involved in murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and cultism.
In a state-by-state executive summary released on Saturday, Force Public Relations Officer CSP Ani Iniedu said all cases are under investigation by the respective State Criminal Investigation Departments (SCID).
In Adamawa State, detectives arrested the prime suspect in the murder of a retired police inspector who had been reported missing, with the suspect allegedly confessing to killing his father and dumping the corpse inside an open well before police exhumed the remains for further investigation.
In Bauchi State, a suspected kidnapper was arrested during a manhunt operation, and the suspect confessed while identifying another alleged accomplice; police recovered a motorcycle, a bulletproof vest, a face mask, cash and a broken mobile phone.
Delta State operatives arrested a suspected member of a kidnapping syndicate terrorising the Ologbo axis of Edo State at Cattle Market, Oghara, where he was found with a dagger and was positively identified by an alleged syndicate member already in custody.
Armed robbery incidents were recorded in Katsina, Osun and the FCT, with police engaging gunmen along the Funtua–Tafoki Road in Katsina, recovering a stolen motorcycle after the bandits fled with gunshot injuries, while in Osun a joint police and community security team arrested a suspected armed robber during a forest clearance operation and recovered a locally fabricated pistol.
In the FCT, operatives responded to an armed robbery along the Nyanya/Maraba Boundary Road, arrested one suspect after a hot chase, and recovered two cutlasses, a Fujitsu laptop, mobile phones, a power bank, and other exhibits.
Plateau State operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested a suspected firearms possessor in Zaramaganda Forest, Jos South LGA, recovering one locally fabricated Beretta pistol, two rounds of 9mm live ammunition and two double-edged daggers, with efforts ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang.
In Akwa Ibom State, police intercepted and arrested a suspected cultist during stop-and-search operations along Abak Road, Uyo, recovering three live cartridges; the suspect confessed the ammunition was intended for use during a cult initiation ceremony.
Separately, FCT Police Command intercepted a stolen red Volkswagen Golf Wagon along the Dei-Dei–Zuba Expressway on August 4, arresting one suspect who confessed to stealing the vehicle with two accomplices, and recovering vehicle keys, charms, spanners, a brain box and a screwdriver.
“State-by-State Executive Summary” of operations
Iniedu framed the report as a daily operational scorecard, writing, “Kindly find below the State-by-State Executive Summary of @policeNG Operational Success for 8th August, 2026,” before listing the nine cases.
The force said all exhibits recovered, including firearms, daggers, cutlasses, ammunition, stolen vehicles, laptops and cash have been logged as evidence while investigations continue at SCID commands in Yola, Bauchi, Asaba, Katsina, Ibadan, Abuja, Jos and Uyo.
