..Recover 1 rocket Launcher, 35 Ak47 rifles, others
By Frank Momoh
The Nigeria Police Force has said the unrelenting and aggressive counter kidnapping strategies of the Police in the fight against kidnapping and other heinous crimes in the country have continued to yield positive results as Police Operatives attached to Operation Puff Adder recorded yet another harvest of criminal elements.
According to DCP Frank Mba, the Force PRO, he said a total of 93 kidnap suspects were arrested from different parts of the North-Central, North-Western and North-Eastern parts of the Country.
In addition, operatives of Operation Puff Adder according to him recovered 1 rocket launcher, 35 AK47 rifles, 10 locally-made AK47 rifles and 500 live ammunition.
Also recovered from the hoodlums are 8 locally-made revolver pistols, 10 pairs of military camouflage uniform, 2 operational vehicles, and other incriminating items.
Mba, said the operations leading to these arrests and recoveries were carried out by joint team of Police operatives attached to Operation Puff Adder, North-Central sector. The team consists of detectives from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Force Intelligence Unit, Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Special Tactical Squad (STS). Other operatives in the Joint Mission include personnel from the Police Mobile Force (PMF) the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Protection Unit (SPU) and the Special Forces.
Meanwhile, Police investigators backed by their counterparts in the Forensic and Technical Intelligence Units have commenced comprehensive investigation of all the 93 suspects arrested in these operations.
The investigations, he explained are aimed at tracking, uncovering and disrupting the sources of arms supply to the criminal groups, as well as identifying their collaborators, and bringing all involved in these heinous crimes to justice.
The massive achievements recorded by the NPF within the last few days are in line with the objectives and core mandates of Operation Puff Adder as an initiative of the acting Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu, which is aimed at curbing all kinds of violent crimes within our society, the Force PRO said.
The achievements according to him are also indicative of the fact that the security agents are now winning the war against the criminal elements.
The Police boss, while commending the Operatives for their sacrifice and resilience, reiterates the commitment of the NPF to restoring sanity on our highways and inner cities.
The IG further expressed his gratitude to the general Public for providing credible intelligence that has helped the Police in achieving the successes recorded so far.