Oyo Abduction: Police Deploy DIGs, Intensify Crackdown on Unregistered Vehicles

The Nigeria Police Force has deployed Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) across the country and stepped up a nationwide enforcement campaign against unregistered and concealed number plates, as part of intensified efforts to rescue students abducted in Oyo State.

The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, announced the measures in Abuja on Tuesday during a high-level security meeting with senior officers, describing the Oyo school abduction as an active and ongoing rescue operation.

He assured that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, were fully mobilised to ensure the safe return of the abducted students, noting that intelligence-led operations had been intensified across affected routes.

“We are making steady progress and will not relent until all the victims are safely rescued and reunited with their families,” he said, adding that operational updates would continue as the mission unfolds.

As part of a broader restructuring of field operations, Disu disclosed that DIGs would be deployed to all geopolitical zones beginning June 15. According to him, the move is designed to improve supervision, strengthen coordination among commands, and close operational gaps often exploited by criminal networks.

Nigeria continues to battle widespread insecurity, including kidnapping, banditry, insurgency and communal violence, with school abductions remaining one of the most troubling manifestations in recent years.

The police chief said that since the last strategic briefing in March, the force had recorded significant operational gains, including the arrest of suspected terrorists, kidnappers, armed robbers and murder suspects. He added that 88 kidnapped victims had been rescued in various coordinated operations across the country.

He also cited a recent security intervention in the Federal Capital Territory where five suspected kidnappers were arrested before they could allegedly execute planned attacks in Abuja.

To further strengthen inter-state security coordination, Disu directed Commissioners of Police in neighbouring states to implement what he called “handshake patrols” along key border routes. The initiative, he explained, is aimed at improving intelligence sharing and preventing criminals from exploiting jurisdictional boundaries.

In a related directive, the police leadership ordered an immediate nationwide crackdown on vehicles operating without registration plates, as well as those with concealed, defaced or altered numbers.

According to Disu, such vehicles are frequently used by criminal groups to evade detection during kidnappings, armed robberies and other violent crimes.

He warned that any vehicle found in violation of registration laws would be impounded and processed according to legal procedures, stressing that enforcement would be strict and without preferential treatment.

Security agencies have continued to intensify coordinated operations across the country as part of efforts to curb kidnappings and violent crime, particularly in vulnerable communities and inter-state corridors.