Nigeria Police arrest 262 suspects, rescue 27 kidnap victims nationwide

Between September 5 and 11, 2026, the Nigeria Police Force arrested 262 suspects linked to kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, banditry, cultism, human trafficking, drug peddling and vandalism, rescuing 27 kidnapped victims and recovering 34 firearms, 375 rounds of live ammunition and 11 vehicles. Eleven armed suspects were neutralised during the operations.

The Force recorded 50 homicide, 28 armed robbery, 10 cultism, eight gender‑based violence, 27 kidnapping, 22 banditry and five terrorism‑related incidents in the same period.

Notable rescues include a 60‑year‑old man, Nduka Omoyi, freed after a gun duel in Delta State; a Methodist clergyman, Ndulo Amofia, released in Ebonyi State; and three victims, including a two‑year‑old child, saved in Gombe State. In Kwara State, two suspects were arrested in Baruten LGA with ₦770,000, two smartphones, a locally made bulletproof vest and a power bank before being handed to the military over alleged ties to a Niger State attack.

Sokoto troops neutralised four bandits in Yadiya Village, recovering an AK‑47 and 28 rounds; Kaduna hunters and police neutralised two bandits in Ikara LGA, rescuing two victims but losing three local hunters; Katsina forces neutralised one bandit at Mararabar Dayawa Forest, rescuing a kidnapped victim from Kano’s Gwarzo LGA and seizing two motorcycles; Akwa Ibom marines foiled a kidnapping bid on the Calabar‑Oron channel, seizing a pump‑action gun, ammunition, two speedboats and four outboard engines.

Will these sustained operations improve public confidence in security agencies, or do Nigerians still fear for their safety despite the reported successes?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/09/14/police-arrest-262-suspects-rescue-27-kidnapped-victims-nationwide/