Troops have arrested a suspected kidnapper in Oyo State as part of efforts to get rid of criminal activities in the country.

The army in a Friday statement said the suspect was apprehended in a stop-and-search operation along the Igboho-Igbeti Road in Igbeti Local Government Area of the South-Western state.

“The troops intercepted a suspected kidnapper, Usman Mohammed Aliyu, who was found in possession of four hundred thousand naira (N400,000.00),” the statement read. “During further investigation, Aliyu confessed to being involved in cattle rustling and kidnapping. The suspects will be handed over to appropriate prosecuting agencies after investigations.”

Elsewhere, troops acted on credible intelligence and raided a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Ajegunle Mpape in the Bwari area council of Abuja, the nation’s capital. During the raid, troops nabbed “an informant suspect named Ashiru Mohammed with two female accomplices, Raham Abubakar and Sadiya Mohammed.”

“The suspects were found in possession of one Beretta pistol, one pistol magazine, and 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition. The troops also recovered five ATM cards from different banks, two mobile phones, and suspected illicit drugs. The suspects are currently helping in further investigations,” the statement read.

The statement further noted: “These coordinated operations are indicative of Nigerian Army’s commitment to maintaining security and combating criminal activities in synergy with other security agencies across the country. The arrests and seizures are expected to significantly disrupt the operations of kidnap syndicates and other criminal networks in the affected areas.”