Police in Katsina have rescued 17 kidnapped victims and arrested 247 suspects linked to various criminal offences across the state in August 2026.
The suspects were arrested in connection with kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry, drug peddling, murder, rape and other offences.
The operations also led to the recovery of an AK-47 rifle, 145 suspected rustled livestock and other exhibits.
State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, disclosed this on Friday at a press conference on the command’s operational achievements during the month under review.
Aliyu said the arrests comprised three suspected kidnappers, 15 suspected armed robbers, four alleged informants to bandits, 31 suspected drug peddlers, 13 suspects linked to murder and culpable homicide, and 20 suspects in connection with rape and sodomy.
The PPRO said another 160 suspects were arrested for various other criminal offences.
He added that the command recorded 122 major cases during the period, with 89 already charged to court for prosecution after preliminary investigations were concluded.
Aliyu said the 17 rescued kidnapping victims had been debriefed, medically examined and reunited with their families.
Police also recovered one AK-47 rifle, 145 suspected rustled livestock, one motor vehicle, six motorcycles and a sewing machine.
Other items recovered included 1,500 pieces of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), recharge cards, 90 Exol-5 tablets, 141 Tramadol capsules, one bottle of Blue Spirit and an unspecified quantity of vandalised wires.
PPRO said all recovered exhibits remained in police custody and would be tendered before the court as evidence during prosecution.
He attributed the achievements to intensified intelligence-led operations, sustained patrols in identified crime hotspots, community policing and collaboration with other security agencies.
He further explained that joint patrols and real-time intelligence sharing had improved the command’s response time and operational effectiveness across the state.
The command, he added, would sustain its operations against kidnapping, banditry, cattle rustling, arms trafficking and other forms of criminality.
