Police arrest 776 suspects in 2024 for rape, murder in Borno.
From: Tada Jutha, Maiduguri
The Borno Police Command has arrested 776 suspects for murder, rape, kidnapping, terrorism, and other related crimes in Borno state in 2024.
According to him, the suspects were arrested for alleged crimes committed in various parts of the state.
The police commissioner, Mohammed Yusufu, disclosed this on Tuesday in Maiduguri while reviewing the end-of-year performance of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) in the state.
He said that the achievements in crime prevention and surveillance have ensured safety with a secured environment for Borno residents in the various communities.
Besides the remarkable crime preventive measures, he said, “In December 2024, the police also arrested 55 suspects for rape, armed robbery, and burglary in Maiduguri metropolis and Jere Local Council.”
“The suspects had confessed to the theft of 16 tires and 23 cartons of drugs, syringes, and capsules from a pharmaceutical store.
Yusufu noted that despite the policing achievements, the command has adopted strategies in combating crimes and other social vices, including coordinated operations, community engagement, and the building of the capacities of the policemen.
He said that other adopted preventive crime measures comprise the overcoming of challenges associated with post-insurgency on gender-based violence and explosives ordinance risk education awareness.
The police chief continued: “The procurement of intelligence by building trust and communication with informal policing units such as the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), vigilantes, hunters, and community-based organisations.”
Speaking on the recorded cases made last year, he said, “Out of the 721 cases, 367 were reported to the police, while 257 suspects were charged to courts,” adding that 110 cases are pending with investigations ongoing by the police.
He added that there were 109 reported cases of rape with the arrests of 117 suspects, while the cases of rape charged to court stood at 81.
Yusufu stated that 28 cases of rape are pending, with the continuous investigation by the police.
“During the period under review, we recorded 65 murder cases after arresting 140 suspects.
“Out of the reported cases of murder, 41 were charged to courts, while 24 cases are pending, with an ongoing investigation, before charging the suspects to courts.
