Niger police make 326 arrests in 14 months

Commissioner of Police, Monday Kuryas, unbehalf of The Niger State Police Command disclosed that it had made 326 arrests for various offences during the period of 14 months.

This was  disclosed during his retirement pull-out parade at the Police Training School in Minna, on Thursday.

Kuryas stated that 284 of the arrested suspects had been charged to court and successfully prosecuted while 42 suspects were under investigation and awaiting trial.

“The arrests and prosecution were made between August 10 2021, when I resumed as the Niger State commissioner of police to October 2022.” He said.

He also said that the suspects were arrested for offences ranging from culpable homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, cattle rustling, rape to unlawful possession of firearms.

Kuryas added that the state was currently enjoying relative peace from insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, youth restiveness and communal clashes as a result of efforts put in by the command.

“We addressed the challenges of youth restiveness in Minna metropolis through raids of criminal hideouts and house-to-house search of the miscreants who were disturbing the peace of the metropolis and almost 200 suspects were arrested.

“When the controversy of their release during prosecution came up, we had to partner with the judiciary and re-arrested many of them while the Ministry of Justice took over their prosecution. As a result of this, many of them have been convicted and they are serving jail terms in various custodial centres.”

He called on the Federal Government to provide adequate equipment for the police, adding that in his 32 years of service the  police force was yet to be in the best shape.

“Let me make my humble suggestion as I am exiting the Nigeria Police Force, the police force is yet to be in the best shape and therefore, I hereby humbly advise the Federal Government to provide adequate equipment such as enough armoured personnel carriers, anti-riot equipment, bulletproof vests, operational vehicles, helmets, long and short range tear gas and other sophisticated arms to the police to enable the force to perform its constitutional role optimally. “

(Punch)