By Joy Yesufu
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested four suspected members of a criminal network allegedly involved in kidnapping and banditry activities across the FCT and neighbouring states.
The suspects, Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, Hauwa Shafiu and Shamsudeen Mustapha — were apprehended during a follow-up tactical operation led by the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, in the Paze-Byazhin hills area bordering Kaduna, Niger and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the operation was a continuation of an anti-kidnapping and rescue mission conducted on June 9, 2026, in the Paze-Byazhin axis.
The police spokesperson said intelligence gathered during the earlier operation led security operatives to a hideout allegedly used by members of a kidnapping and banditry syndicate operating within the FCT and adjoining states.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the location served as a strategic meeting point where armed bandits coordinated movements, shared intelligence on prospective targets and planned attacks.
The suspects reportedly confessed to providing logistical support to the criminal groups, including the supply of food, medical assistance, illicit substances and other essential materials used by the bandits in their operations.
In a separate operation conducted on June 15, CP Sanusi personally led another tactical team to the identified camp, resulting in the complete dismantling of the hideout. Makeshift shelters and storage facilities allegedly used by the suspects were destroyed, effectively disrupting the group’s operational base.
The police further disclosed that one of the suspects, Hauwa Shafiu, who allegedly served as a logistics supplier and cook for the gang and their captives, was pregnant at the time of her arrest. She has since delivered a baby while in lawful custody and is receiving medical care alongside the newborn.
The FCT Police Command said investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the criminal network, while efforts have been intensified to dismantle related syndicates operating within the region.
The command reaffirmed its commitment to combating kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes threatening residents of the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring communities.
