The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested five suspects linked to a kidnapping and banditry syndicate operating on the outskirts of Abuja, including a heavily pregnant woman alleged to have served as the group’s cook and logistics supplier.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed this while parading the suspects before journalists in Abuja on Monday, saying the arrests followed a clearance operation carried out in the Byazin area on 11 June 2026.
He explained that the operation led to the arrest of several suspects, the neutralization of some armed men, and the rescue of victims held by the gang.
Sanusi said follow-up intelligence led officers to another hideout within the same area, where they arrested additional members of the network.
“One of the suspects, Shafiu, operates as a logistics supplier and cook for the criminal gang and their hostages. She was heavily pregnant at the time of her arrest, even though her pregnancy did not deter her from continuously committing this heinous crime,” he said.
He added that police later took her to hospital after her arrest, where she delivered safely.
“The baby is sound and safe. She too is sound. We have provided every medical need while we watch her recuperate,” he said, adding that she remains under supervision at the police clinic.
Other suspects arrested include Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, and Shamsudeen Mustapha.
According to the commissioner, preliminary investigations showed that the suspects formed part of a wider criminal network responsible for kidnappings and banditry around Abuja. He said the group had embedded itself in a community near the FCT boundary to facilitate operations.
“The group had infiltrated and integrated into a local community just about one kilometre away from the FCT itself, enabling them to gather intelligence and coordinate repeated attacks on targeted persons and locations,” he said.
Sanusi said items recovered from the suspects included four motorcycles, quantities of tramadol tablets, mobile phones, a POS machine, cooking utensils, and ₦320,000 in cash.
He said the cash represented proceeds from ransom payments.
“According to the confession of one of the suspects, the ₦320,000 was his share of a ₦7 million ransom paid to the kidnappers,” he revealed.
He also disclosed that one suspect admitted to helping two fleeing gang members escape during the June 11 operation, confirming that some suspects who initially evaded arrest received internal support from within the network.
Sanusi added that another suspect acted as a drug supplier to the gang.
He said the command, in collaboration with the FCT Administration, would demolish identified criminal hideouts linked to the suspects.
“We have an arrangement. Since we have identified their houses, we are moving from here to go and demolish those houses in collaboration with the FCT administration. Any such houses that we continue to identify, we will continue to bring down,” he said.
He further warned that several suspects remain at large, noting that their identities are already known to security agencies. “As they are looking for us, we are equally looking for them,” he said.
