Police arrest 22 suspected armed robbers in Katsina

By : Danjuma Michael

Date: 4 December 2025 8:31am WAT

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Nigeria Police Force

Nigeria Police Force

The Katsina State Police Command said it arrested 22 suspected armed robbers during various operations in November this year.

The spokesperson for the command, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, made this known while outlining some of the command’s achievements to newsmen on Wednesday.

The command said it had received reports of 123 criminal cases, with 108 cases charged in court and 15 currently under investigation.

It said seven suspects were arrested for their involvement in culpable homicide and or murder cases during period under review.

It said four suspects were arrested for being in possession of counterfeit currencies, while 20 others were caught for rape and or committing unnatural offences.

It said 10 other suspects were nabbed for being in possession of illicit drugs, and that several exhibits were recovered, including three AK-47 rifles, 24 rounds of live ammunition, and 183 rounds of live ammunition.

Other exhibits recovered are four motor vehicles that include one Toyota Corolla, two golf vehicles, and one Peugeot; 32 suspected rustled animals comprising 23 cows, nine sheep,

Rest exhibits include 131 illicit drugs consisting of 212,100 pieces of Exol tablets, 3,720 tramadol tablets, 67 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis, 50 meters of vandalised high tension cables, among others.

The command pledged to redouble efforts and to build on successes recorded to make the state a safer place for all, with a call on stakeholders to join the fight against crime.

In other news, the Rivers State Police Command has announced the successful rescue of five victims who were abducted by suspected cultists in Emuoha Local Government Area of the state on Monday.

The victims, Prince London ‘M’, Azubuike Kelechukwu ‘M’, Elizabeth Aniete ‘F’, Onyebuchi Precious ‘M’, and London Sampson ‘M’, were rescued unhurt at Rumudogo 2 Community in Emuoha LGA.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer of Rivers State, Grace Iringe-Koko, the rescue operation was conducted by the command’s Tactical Teams, in collaboration with other security agencies and with the support of the community, at around 1:00 am on December 4, 2025.

She stated that the victims have been taken to the hospital for medical examination, adding that intensive efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing cultists/abductors.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, assured that the perpetrators will be tracked down and made to face the full wrath of the law.

He also urged the community and the general public to continue collaborating with the police to ensure residents’ safety.

This rescue operation is a follow-up to an earlier incident where suspected cultists in Emuoha LGA abducted five students of Rivers State University.

In other news, Imo State Police Command has refuted allegations of human rights abuses unleashed on the detainees at the anti-kidnapping unit (aka Tiger Base), said to be perpetrated by the officers of the unit.

The command also dismissed a viral video in circulation alleging that the officers of the unit were engaging in human torture, organ trafficking and extra-judicial killings.

In a statement issued Wednesday night, the spokesperson of the command, Henry Okoye, stated that the video was false and unfounded, intended to mislead the public.

Okoye, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), clarified that the unit was a legitimate tactical facility established as a formation of the Nigeria Police Force mandated to combat kidnapping activities, armed robbery, cultism, and other violent crimes in the state, clarifying that it was not an illegal detention facility or a place taken as a slaughterhouse.

The statement read: “The Imo State Police Command has noted with dismay a viral social media publication alleging that the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, with the operational call sign ‘Tiger Base,’ engages in torture, organ trafficking, and extrajudicial killings. The Command categorically refutes these claims as false, unfounded, and intended to mislead the public. “The Anti-Kidnapping Unit (Tiger Base) is a legitimate tactical formation of the Nigeria Police Force mandated to combat kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, and other violent crimes. It is not an illegal detention facility or a slaughterhouse, and all suspects are handled in line with the law.”

Highlighting the achievements of the unit, he stressed, “The Unit has successfully dismantled several notorious kidnapping and armed robbery syndicates, contributing to the improved peace and security that Imolites enjoy today. “There is no credible evidence supporting the allegations of torture, organ harvesting, or extrajudicial killings. These narratives are considered part of a smear campaign by criminal elements affected by ongoing security operations.”

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