The Police Command in Plateau has arrested 178 suspects over cultist activities, kidnapping, trafficking and unlawful possession of firearms.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, disclosed this at a news conference on Monday in Jos.
Adesina said that out of the 178 suspects, 118 were arrested on July 7 for cult activities, being their day of celebration and initiation of new members. He said that the remaining 60 were arrested for other crimes.
“Through the multi-faceted strategies employed by the command and the prudent utilisation of human and material resources, we have been able to sustain the prevailing peace being experienced today on the Plateau,” he said.
The police commissioner said that he had held a series of meetings with stakeholders from troubled areas in the state to ensure peaceful co-existence.
"I have emplaced intensive patrol, raiding of criminal hideouts and visibility policing, which has become the hallmark of my policing strategy employed in recording these recent achievements.
“Based on credible intelligence gathered, I ordered the raiding of an apartment suspected to be a hideout of a cult syndicate. As a result, the command’s Eagle-Eye Patrol Unit (EEPU) arrested these suspects,” he added.
Adesina said that those arrested over criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, trafficking and causing grievous hurt, among others, were nabbed in the last month. He further stated that all the suspects were currently under investigation after which they would be charged to court.