Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has announced the deployment of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police to the six geopolitical zones and introduced coordinated inter-state operations, described as “Handshake Patrols,” as efforts intensify to rescue abducted the Oriire schoolchildren in Oyo State and other kidnap victims across the country.
The Police Chief said the deployment, expected to commence on June 15, would improve operational supervision, coordination and accountability across commands while bringing senior leadership closer to security operations in the field.
While acknowledging the nation’s security challenges, the IGP assured families of the abducted Oyo pupils that combined operations involving security agencies were ongoing and yielding progress.
He also commended police operatives involved in the recent rescue of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her twin sons, Peter and Paul, abducted in Oyo State, describing the operation as a demonstration of intelligence-led policing and effective community partnership.
As part of efforts to close security gaps exploited by criminal gangs, Disu directed Commissioners of Police in neighbouring states to begin coordinated inter-state patrols and intelligence-sharing operations under what he described as “Handshake Patrols.”
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According to him, the strategy is designed to disrupt the movement of criminal groups that exploit state boundaries to evade arrest after attacks and abductions.
The Inspector-General noted that the Force had recorded significant operational successes since the last strategic conference, including the arrest of eight suspected terrorists, fifty-five suspected kidnappers, sixty-five armed robbery suspects, twenty-nine murder suspects and forty-two suspected cultists.
He disclosed that police operations within the period led to the rescue of eighty-eight kidnapped victims, while one hundred and fourteen firearms, eight hundred and forty-three rounds of ammunition and twenty-eight stolen vehicles were recovered nationwide.
Highlighting recent intelligence-led operations, the IGP revealed that operatives in the Federal Capital Territory intercepted and arrested five suspected kidnappers before they could launch planned attacks within Abuja.
The police chief also announced intensified nationwide enforcement against vehicles operating without registration numbers or with concealed, altered or defaced plates.
He warned that such vehicles are frequently used by kidnappers, terrorists and other criminal groups to avoid identification and facilitate criminal activities.
In his words, “Any vehicle found violating registration regulations will be stopped, impounded and subjected to the appropriate legal process”. He stressed that the enforcement would apply without exception.
Disu further urged Commissioners of Police to strengthen community engagement structures, sustain intelligence gathering and maintain responsible communication with the media as part of broader efforts to improve public trust and security response nationwide.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
