The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has said that crime rate in the country is in decline in recent times, due to the enhancement of the institutional capacity of the police.
Specifically, he said the force had arrested 424 suspected kidnappers across the country and recovered 10,860 ammunitions of various descriptions from criminals.Adamu, during a conference with senior police officers at the Force Headquarters yesterday, said the arrests were made between May 10 and June 14, 2019.
The police boss said the highest number of arrests was made in Kaduna State with 101 kidnap suspects in the police net, followed by Katsina with 79 arrests, Nasarawa 54 and 32 in Taraba.
“While there are still isolated cases of internal security breaches, which often attract publicity and national attention, the crime rate in recent times has been on the decline.
“The foregoing is consequent upon the enhancement of the institutional capacity of the Nigerian police to respond to internal security threats and undertake intelligence-led operations. The successes are linked to Operation Puff Adder, which has been a very potent anti-crime vehicle of the police,” the IGP said.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, has stressed the need for Nigeria to deploy necessary intelligence against banditry and corruption. Owasanoye stated this yesterday in Abuja during a visit of students of the basic intelligence officers Course 12/2019 of the Defence Intelligence College to the commission.
Represented by Hon. Justice Adamu Bello, the ICPC boss regretted that Nigeria, as a nation, had had its fair share of terrorism, banditry and lately the upsurge in kidnapping for ransom.
He urged the students to take advantage of the basic intelligence course, which would expose them to intelligence gathering and how to deploy such intelligence.
“You must note that those challenges are further aggravated by the endemic corruption that is ravaging our nation; hence you must be at the forefront of eradicating corruption, if we desire a nation free of terrorism, banditry and corruption,” he added.
