Abuja — The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has released its latest weekly operational report, showing continued gains in the fight against violent crime nationwide as Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji “Tunde” Disu, sustains his intelligence-led policing strategy across the country’s commands.
According to the Force’s weekly review, officers arrested 137 suspects linked to high-profile offences including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, and homicide, as tactical units intensified operations against criminal networks in flashpoint states.
The report also credited police tactical teams with rescuing 108 kidnapped victims through what the Force described as “sustained tactical bush-combing and precision operations,” reflecting a continued emphasis on rapid-response rescue missions that has characterised recent months of NPF activity.
Weapons recovery figures were similarly notable. Officers seized 44 firearms — including AK-47 rifles and pump-action guns — along with 339 rounds of live ammunition taken from criminal elements during raids and combat engagements. Separately, police recovered 29 stolen vehicles and a number of rustled cattle, part of continuing efforts to disrupt the logistics and proceeds of organised crime in rural and semi-urban areas.
The Force reported that 16 armed criminals were neutralized during what it called “decisive engagements,” underscoring the more assertive operational posture that has defined the current leadership’s approach to armed confrontations with criminal gangs.
Weekly Operational Achievements at a Glance
- 137 suspects arrested for high-profile offences, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, and homicide — reflecting continued pressure on organised criminal networks across multiple crime categories.
- 108 kidnapped victims rescued through sustained tactical bush-combing and precision operations, pointing to intensified rescue-focused deployments in forest and rural enclaves.
- 44 firearms recovered, including AK-47 rifles and pump-action guns, indicating disruption of arms circulating within criminal networks.
- 339 rounds of live ammunition seized from criminal elements, further limiting the operational capacity of armed groups.
- 29 stolen vehicles recovered, alongside numerous rustled cattle, signalling continued action against property crime and rural banditry.
- 16 armed criminals neutralized during decisive engagements, underscoring a more assertive posture in direct confrontations with armed suspects.
Taken together, the figures span the full spectrum of the Force’s current priorities — arrests, rescues, weapons interdiction, and direct engagement — suggesting a coordinated rather than piecemeal approach to the week’s operations.
The latest figures fit into a broader pattern of weekly operational reporting that has become a hallmark of Disu’s tenure since he was sworn in as the 23rd indigenous Inspector-General of Police in February 2026. Earlier updates from the Force headquarters have detailed similarly large-scale recoveries; a report from the Force’s monthly strategic conference in June, for instance, disclosed that 88 kidnapped victims had been rescued within a review period alongside the recovery of 114 firearms, 843 rounds of ammunition, and 28 stolen vehicles, as the IGP charged senior officers to adopt more proactive and adaptive strategies.
Analysts and commentators tracking the Force’s activities under Disu have pointed to a series of high-profile operations — including coordinated raids that dismantled kidnappers’ camps in forest enclaves around Abuja — as evidence of a more visible and coordinated leadership style. Commentary published in recent months has argued that the IGP’s approach, including the deployment of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police to their respective geopolitical zones to bring command closer to the field, has contributed to improved response times and operational coordination across the Force.
In its statement accompanying the latest figures, the NPF appreciated what it described as the continued support of law-abiding citizens and called for greater collaboration in information sharing between communities and security operatives. The Force reiterated that its resolve to confront crime “in all its ramifications” remains absolute.
The weekly release is the latest in a series of operational scorecards the Force has published as part of efforts to keep the public informed of progress against banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes that have troubled several regions of the country in recent years.
This report is based on data released by the Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) and previously reported figures from Nigerian security correspondents.
