The Zone 5 Command of the Nigeria Police, comprising Edo, Delta and Bayelsa, has announced that it arrested a total of 150 armed robbery suspects in 2013 out of a total of 124 cases reported within the same period.
Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police of the Zone, Hashimu Argungu, who disclosed this on Tuesday while addressing journalists in Benin, said the figure dropped in comparison with 2012, which had 163 reported cases and 181 arrests.
A breakdown of the major crimes in the zone shows that 70 kidnappers were arrested in reported 43 cases as against the 43 reported cases of kidnapping and 101 arrests in 2012.
Also, the figure shows that 70 kidnap victims were rescued in the year, as against 52 rescued in 2012. In 2013, the Zonal Command recovered 10,150 ammunition as against 9,480 recovered in 2012, firearms recovered in 2013 were 205, while 198 were recovered in 2012.
While only 12 murder cases were reported in the zone in 2013, the number recorded in 2012 was 17. Also, 67 cases were charged to court as against the 50 in 2012.
He commended his men for the drop in crime rate in the year under review saying that this was as a result of the crime preventive strategies put in place in the zone.
Argungu further attributed the success to the robust partnership the zone enjoyed with members of the public, saying they were always willing to give useful information in the area of crime fighting and prevention.
“Inter-agency partnerships and cooperation with sister agencies also played a key role in adding value to our efforts at making the zone peaceful and safe”, he said.
While appealing for more of the cooperation from members of the public, he promised that his men would continue to do their best to combat crime in the zone.
