The Kogi State Police Command has arrested 239 suspected criminals following a three-month crackdown on criminal activities across the state. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Miller Dantawaye, disclosed this during his maiden press briefing, stating that the arrests included 66 armed robbery suspects, 75 kidnapping suspects, 18 homicide suspects, 21 suspects for unlawful possession of firearms, four suspects for sexual assault, six suspected cultists, and 49 others.
Dantawaye attributed the success to proactive strategies based on intelligence-led policing and strong collaboration with community stakeholders. “Security is a collective responsibility,” he noted, emphasising the role of information sharing between the police and the public.
He highlighted the command’s commitment to community policing in line with the Inspector General of Police’s guidelines, which he said had improved public confidence in the police.
“We have facilitated effective collaboration with critical stakeholders, providing access to share information and intelligence for crime control and management,” Dantawaye said.
The CP assured residents of the command’s dedication to sustaining the fight against crime and protecting lives and property. He urged the public to continue providing credible and timely information to the police.
To enhance operations, Dantawaye revealed that the command had initiated training programmes to boost personnel’s mental and operational capacity. He added that participants of Course 7 in the ongoing Refresher Combat Operation Training Exercise graduated last Friday.
“We have also adopted comprehensive crime prevention and control strategies, including intensive patrols along major highways, raids on identified criminal hideouts, black spots, and flashpoints, aggressive stop-and-search operations, and the deployment of well-trained, equipped, and motivated officers to rid Kogi State of all forms of crimes and criminality,” he said.
The CP stressed the importance of public cooperation in achieving safety, saying, “No police force, no matter how well trained, equipped, or motivated, can solely achieve their safety mandate without public support.”
