The Katsina State Police Command has said it apprehended 225 suspected criminals and rescued 17 abducted persons in the month of May this year.

Spokesperson for the command, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, made this known Thursday evening at a press briefing where he outlined some of the command’s achievements for last month to newsmen.

Aliyu said the command received a total of 150 major cases and that all of these were acted upon, while 109 of the cases have been charged to court for prosecution.

He said within period under review, the command also recovered 466 suspected rustled animals, three motor vehicles, 22 motorcycles, 170 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.

“Within the period under review, the Command arrested 225 suspects linked to various criminal activities, including, seven suspected kidnappers, 10 suspected armed robbers, one suspected armed bandit, two suspected informants, and 21 persons involved in drug peddling.

Also arrested were; 10 murder/culpable homicide suspects, 36 persons involved in rape/sodomy, 13 suspected social miscreants, and 130 suspects for other criminal offences.

“In total, 150 major cases were reported and acted upon, with 109 cases already charged to court for prosecution upon conclusion of investigations.”

Aliyu further added that, “The Command successfully rescued 17 kidnapped victims. The victims have since been debriefed, medically examined, and reunited with their families.

“In the same period, we have recovered; 20 laptops, two GSM phones, one master key, and, one scanner.

“We also recovered; 466 suspected rustled animals, three motor vehicles, 22 motorcycles, four bags of Vandalized Span Wire, 141 pieces of Exhole tablets,190 sachets of Diazaparm, 170 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, 49 D5 Tablet, ⁠133 Paragablin Tabs, and five packs of Dexametason- six million pieces.

“All recovered exhibits are in custody and will be tendered in court as evidence.

“To deny criminals freedom of action, the Command launched the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), maintaining heightened intelligence-led operations. Community-policing engagements were sustained across communities to enhance local trust and intelligence flow.

“These achievements were made possible through sustained collaboration with sister security agencies in joint security operations. Joint patrols and real-time intelligence sharing have significantly improved our response time and operational effectiveness across Katsina State.”

He, however, called on residents to “remain vigilant and to continue providing timely and credible information to the Police through our dedicated Command hotline. Criminal elements are hereby warned to desist from all acts of criminality or face the full weight of the law.”