LAGOS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The police said Monday that 3,619 criminal suspects were arrested across Nigeria in the first five months of the year to crack down on illegal behaviors that harmed social security.
Nigeria's Inspector-General of Police Usman Baba revealed the data at a senior police officers meeting in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
He said the suspects were arrested during various police operations across the country between January and May for alleged offenses of terrorism, secessionism, kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and firearm proliferation.
He disclosed that 316 abduction victims were freed with 486 different firearms found during separate operations, including AK-47 rifles and locally made automatic weapons.
The security situation has continued to improve, with a decrease in serious criminal incidents documented across the country in recent months, the national police chief said.
Despite the gains, he said there were still predicted security dangers across the country, including the consequences of the removal of gasoline subsidies and the developing potential of industrial action. ■