21,296 suspected criminals involved in various “violent crimes” were arrested by Nigerian police in the country last year, according to the Inspector General of Police Mohamed Adamu.



Among the notable arrests was that of a suspect named Abubakar Umaru, who was described as a member and armourer of a gang that carried out several kidnap for ransom operations in Nigeria’s north-central states.

Adamu, who reviewed the scorecard of police operations in Abuja on Monday, added that 3,347 firearms, 133,496 ammunition and 960 stolen vehicles had also been recovered. A further 1,002 kidnap victims were rescued and reunited with their families.

A statement from the police said all the suspects will be charged in court following the conclusion of investigations.

Adamu praised the public for their support for the police even as he called for a strengthening of the relationship between the two parties, especially in the area of provision of information to tackle criminal activity.

He also assured Nigerians of improved security this year following a turbulent previous one which saw several insecurity incidents, including the kidnapping of more than 300 schoolboys in Katsina state and the killing of more than 100 people in an attack on farmworkers in Borno state.

“The IGP assured that the NPF will implement aggressive, proactive, intelligence-driven and community-based crime fighting strategies in its quests to make the country safer,” the statement said.

The operations of Nigeria’s police force came under scrutiny in October last year following widespread allegations of police brutality leading to nationwide protests with the hashtag #EndSARS going viral.