Nigeria Police nab notorious Beninese fugitive in Ogun

…IGP vows Nigeria will never be a safe haven for criminals

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested and repatriated a notorious Beninese fugitive, Sunday Kotin, wanted for a string of transnational crimes including armed banditry, arms smuggling, cattle rustling, and drug trafficking.

According to a statement signed by CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, Force Public Relations Officer, the arrest followed a request from Interpol Benin Republic to Interpol Nigeria after Kotin fled into Nigeria to evade justice. Investigations revealed that seven members of his syndicate are already standing trial in Benin Republic, while he had been on the run.

The statement reads partly: “Acting with precision and working on credible intelligence, operatives of the NPF NCB carried out a discreet operation that led to the arrest of the suspect in Idi Iroko Town, Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State. The fugitive was subsequently interrogated on his transnational criminal escapades and officially handed over to officials of NCB Cotonou.”

Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, while commending the officers involved, reiterated the Force’s stand against cross-border criminality. “Nigeria will never serve as a safe haven for fugitives or purveyors of crime, no matter how highly placed or deeply networked,” he declared.

Egbetokun further assured both Nigerians and the international community of the Police Force’s “relentless pursuit of criminals, its steadfast partnership with global law enforcement agencies, and its firm obligation to ensuring peace, security, and justice for all.”