The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested four suspected members of a criminal network linked to kidnapping and banditry activities operating within the FCT and neighbouring states.
The arrests followed a series of coordinated tactical operations led by the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, in the Paze–Byazhin axis of the territory.
According to the Command, the operation was launched as a follow-up to an anti-kidnapping and rescue mission conducted on June 9, 2026, in the Paze–Byazhin area. Acting on intelligence gathered during the exercise, the police carried out another raid on June 11 at a suspected hideout located in the Paze hills along the borders of the FCT, Kaduna and Niger states.
The operation led to the arrest of four suspects identified as Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, Hauwa Shafiu and Shamsudeen Mustapha.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects are members of a coordinated criminal network that allegedly supports kidnapping and banditry operations across the FCT and adjoining states.
Police investigators disclosed that during interrogation, the suspects admitted that the hideout served as a meeting point where armed bandits coordinated movements, exchanged intelligence and planned attacks on targeted communities and individuals.
The suspects were also alleged to have provided logistical support to the criminal groups, including food supplies, medical assistance, illicit drugs and other essential materials used by the armed gangs operating in the area.
In a further operation conducted on June 15, CP Sanusi personally led police operatives to the identified location, where the criminal camp was completely dismantled. Makeshift shelters and storage facilities allegedly used by the suspects were destroyed, effectively disrupting the group’s operational base.
The police also disclosed that one of the suspects, Hauwa Shafiu, who allegedly served as a logistics supplier and cook for the criminal network and their captives, was pregnant at the time of her arrest. She has since delivered a baby while in lawful custody and is reportedly receiving medical care alongside the newborn.
The FCT Police Command said investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the network, while efforts are being intensified to dismantle the broader criminal structure operating across the region.
The Command reiterated its commitment to combating kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes, assuring residents of sustained operations aimed at improving security within the FCT and surrounding areas.
