- Police recover locally made pistols, cartridges, knives, cutlasses and other exhibits as CP Sanusi vows sustained crackdown on criminal syndicates
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested 11 suspects in connection with alleged armed robbery, kidnapping and “one-chance” operations in Abuja and neighbouring states, recovering firearms, electronic devices and other suspected criminal exhibits.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, PhD, FCAI, disclosed this on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, during a press briefing at the Command’s headquarters in Abuja.
Sanusi said the arrests followed intensified intelligence-led, covert and overt anti-crime operations aimed at sustaining peace and improving security across the nation’s capital.
He explained that the operations had led to the dismantling of suspected criminal networks involved in armed robbery and the exploitation of unsuspecting commuters through one-chance schemes.
Police arrest two suspected robbery syndicate members
The commissioner disclosed that police operatives, acting on credible intelligence, arrested two suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate, identified as Jamilu Abdulsalam and Ibrahim Isa Sani, on September 17, 2026, at about 2 p.m.
According to him, intelligence available to the Command indicated that the syndicate operated across Abuja and parts of Nasarawa, Niger and Kogi states.
He said the suspects and their accomplices allegedly selected their victims after studying their movements and routines before attacking them at gunpoint and dispossessing them of their valuables.
Sanusi added that the suspects were arrested along the AYA–Nyanya Expressway shortly after an alleged robbery operation, as they attempted to leave the FCT for their hideout in Nasarawa State.
Items recovered from them included three locally made pistols, three live cartridges, four knives, two cutlasses, 17 mobile phones of different brands and one point-of-sale (POS) machine.
The commissioner said the suspects would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations.
Suspect arrested over Jabi armed robbery
In a separate operation, the police arrested a suspect, identified as Chibuike Odeh, of Daki-Biyu, Jabi District, over an alleged armed robbery reported at Jabi Police Division on October 18, 2026.
Sanusi said the incident occurred on September 26, when the female victim was returning home from work.
According to him, the suspect allegedly wore a face mask, assaulted the victim, threatened her with a knife and forcefully took her handbag containing an iPhone and other valuables.
The suspect allegedly went further to withdraw money from the victim’s bank accounts while in possession of her mobile phone and ATM card.
Following the complaint, a surveillance team from Jabi Police Division was deployed to the suspect’s last known location. Investigations subsequently led to his arrest at his residence in Daki-Biyu.
A search of the premises reportedly led to the recovery of a bag, a sharp knife, a sharp iron object, a black face mask, a power bank and a voter’s card.
Sanusi said the suspect and the recovered exhibits remained in police custody, adding that he would be charged to court after investigations.
Eight arrested over one-chance robbery, electronic fraud
The FCT Police Command also arrested eight suspects over an alleged one-chance robbery and electronic theft involving a woman identified by the commissioner as the wife of a police officer.
Sanusi said the incident was reported on August 7, 2026, at about 5 p.m., after the victim allegedly boarded a taxi at AYA Roundabout and was picked up by members of a suspected one-chance syndicate.
He explained that the suspects allegedly dispossessed the woman of her mobile phone, transferred money from her account into their own account and dropped her off after taking her valuables.
Following the report, the commissioner said he directed the Command’s tracking unit to conduct a detailed investigation.
According to him, the police deployed digital forensic and tracking techniques to reconstruct the operation, trace electronic transactions and track the victim’s mobile phone, leading to the arrest of eight suspects.
They were identified as Yunusa Sani, Ismail Mohammed, Abubakar Usman, Haruna Musa, Abdulrazaq Mohammed, Isah Abdulrahman, Isa Abdullahi and Aliyu Shuaibu.
The operation also resulted in the recovery of 21 mobile phones and three laptops, including the victim’s device.
The commissioner further disclosed that investigations indicated that one of the suspects, Haruna Musa, allegedly specialised in altering the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers of stolen devices before reselling them to evade detection.
He added that individuals suspected of receiving the stolen properties had also been traced and identified as investigations continued.
The eight suspects and the recovered exhibits remained in police custody and would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations, he said.
CP urges residents to remain vigilant
Sanusi urged residents of the FCT to remain security-conscious and cooperate with the police and other security agencies by promptly reporting suspicious persons, movements and activities.
He advised residents to report such incidents to the nearest police station or through the Command’s emergency contact lines.
“Security is a collective responsibility,” the commissioner said, reaffirming the Command’s commitment to sustaining its anti-crime operations and protecting lives and property across the territory.
He stressed that public cooperation and timely information remained critical to the prevention of crime and the successful dismantling of criminal networks operating within Abuja and its environs.
