The Police Command in Enugu State says it arrested 83 criminal suspects and rescued 20 kidnapped victims within the state from January 1, 2024, till date.
The suspects were arrested for various offenses including abduction, kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, defilement, and vandalism, among other crimes perpetrated within the state during the period in review.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu, revealed this on Tuesday during a briefing with journalists on the achievements of the command since the beginning of the year.
Uzuegbu highlighted that 46 firearms of different calibers and 125 rounds of ammunition of various calibers were recovered during the period.
He further stated that the command’s diligent officers and men recovered 36 motor vehicles, six tricycles, and 15 motorcycles.
Many of the apprehended suspects have been arraigned in court and remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Service Custodial Centre, while others will face prosecution once investigations are concluded.
The commissioner emphasized that the proactive and community-oriented policing strategies adopted by the command have begun to yield the anticipated results.
“I wish to specially thank the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, for the immense support his administration has continued to extend to the police in the state.
“In the same vein, I profoundly thank and appreciate the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for his visionary and pragmatic leadership style, which has brought about the policing strides recorded in Enugu State and Nigeria as a whole.
“Additionally, I express my immense gratitude to my colleagues in sister security agencies and the entire security stakeholders in Enugu State for all the collaborative support we enjoyed in 2023, which has continued into 2024.
“I also want to thank and appreciate my officers and men for their diligence, hard work, and dedication to duty, which have resulted in the operational successes recorded.
“I urge them to remain focused and committed to actualizing the mandates of the Nigeria Police Force in Enugu State,” he said.
The commissioner maintained that discipline remained the bedrock of the Nigeria Police, adding: “I caution officers and men to shun acts of corruption, unprofessionalism, and moral debasement, which bring with them severe disciplinary consequences.”
According to him, officers and men must remain professional, firm, upright, and diligent in the performance of their duties.
He warned unrepentant criminals to turn over a new leaf, as “we shall, more than ever, turn up the heat and make Enugu State more uncomfortable for them and their activities.”