Police Arrest 150 Armed Robbers, 70 Kidnappers In Benin

NAN

Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of police, Zone 5 commandMr Hashimu Argungu,, said on Tuesday that 150 armed robbers were arrested in a total of 124 armed robbery cases reported in 2013. The zone comprises the three states of Edo, Delta and Bayelsa.

Argungu, who was briefing reporters in Benin, said the figure was against 163 reported cases and 181 arrests made in 2012.

The AIG said 2013 witnessed a drastic reduction in crime and criminality, owing to the crime preventive strategies put in place in the zone.

Giving a breakdown of major crimes in the zone, Argungu said 70 kidnappers were arrested in 43 cases reported.

He said the figure was against the 43 reported cases of kidnapping and 101 arrests in 2012.

Argungu said 70 kidnap victims were rescued in 2013, as against 52 rescued the previous year.

Similarly, he gave the number of ammunitions recovered to be 10,150 as against 9,480 recovered in 2012.

Argungu said while firearms recovered in 2013 were 205, 198 were recovered in 2012.

He said the number of murder cases also went down from 17 in 2012 to 12 in 2013.

The AIG, however, said the number of cases charged to court increased to 67 from 50 in 2012.

Argungu attributed the successes recorded in 2013 to effective supervision by the zonal headquarters, of the three states under it.

“Worthy of mention is also the robust partnership the zone enjoyed with members of the public who 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.

Argungu said men of the zone were always ready to ensure safety of lives and properties and he urged members of the public to continue to cooperate by providing the police with useful information.