The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has announced that it recovered the sum of ₦409,992,000 million, apprehended 1,077 suspects and rescued 68 kidnapped victims in year 2024.
The Public Relations Officer of the FCT Police, SP Josephine Adeh disclosed this in a statement on the Command’s achievements in 2024 on Wednesday.
SP Adeh acknowledged that the command faced significant security challenges across its six area councils, including banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, car theft, “one-chance” robbery, illegal possession, use of firearms, homicides, and other violent crimes at the start of 2024.
She stated that in alignment with the directives of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, the FCT Police Command conducted a thorough analysis of the security situation, carried out crime-mapping, identified crime hotspots, and implemented an action plan, including robust community policing engagements and sustained targeted clearance operations.
Other strategies include intelligence-led and visibility policing, collaboration with sister security agencies and strategic communication, public enlightenment, and sensitisation.
“During the year under review, a total of 1,426 cases were reported, leading to the arrest of 1,077 suspects. ARRESTS: Kidnapping: 104 cases reported; 216 suspects arrested, Armed Robbery: 268 cases reported; 132 suspects arrested, “One-Chance” Robbery: 263 cases reported; 71 suspects arrested.
“Cybercrime: 32 cases reported; 15 suspects arrested, Homicide: 68 cases reported; 78 suspects arrested, Burglary: 73 cases reported; 20 suspects arrested, Fraud: 385 cases reported; 422 suspects arrested, Cultism: 38 cases reported; 59 suspects arrested, Police Misconduct: 68 cases reported to the Command’s Complaint Response Unit (CRU), Car Theft: 127 cases reported; 64 suspects arrested,” the statement noted.
The spokeperson disclosed that 68 kidnapped victims were rescued as well as 19 “One-Chance” robbery victims.
She highlighted the cases charged to court and convictions as follows – Kidnapping: 38 suspects charged; 21 convicted, “One-Chance” Robbery: 16 suspects charged; 11 convicted, Homicide: 32 suspects charged; 8 convicted and Fraud: 178 suspects charged; 58 convicted.
Others are Cultism: 19 suspects charged; 11 convicted, Burglary: 26 suspects charged; 8 convicted, Police Misconduct: 58 suspects charged; no convictions recorded and Car Theft: 21 suspects charged; 11 convicted.
Similarly, recoveries comprises 376 firearms, including 13 AK-47 magazines and 187 rounds of live ammunition as well as cash recovery of ₦36,850,000 from kidnapping suspects, ₦68,552,000 from armed robbery suspects, ₦19,590,000 from burglary cases and ₦285,000,000 from fraud cases, totaling ₦409,992,000.
Vehicles were equally recovered, including 73 from car theft cases, 24 from “one-chance” robbery cases and 2 from cultism cases.
“From the above statistics, a 15.1% reduction in crime incidents within the FCT was recorded between 2023 and 2024,” Adeh said, noting that 140 officers died in the line of duty last year.
On plans for 2025, she revealed that the Command will be building on the successes of 2024 and intensify community policing engagements, intelligence-led policing strategies, targeted clearance operations and public enlightenment initiatives to address the evolving security demands of the FCT.
The statement added: “The Command extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Honourable Minister of the FCT, residents, sister security agencies, the media, members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), vigilante groups, and community policing stakeholders for their unwavering support and cooperation.
“With a significant reduction in crime rates and a stable, peaceful atmosphere in the FCT, the Command is committed to sustaining the momentum in combating criminal activities.”
The spokesperson encouraged the residents to report emergencies via the following numbers: 08061581938, 08032003913, 08028940883 and 07057337653, while the Compliant Response Unit and Public Complaint Bureau can be reached on 08107314192 and 09022222352.
