Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough, neutralizing two suspected bandits and arresting two others in a daring midnight rescue operation that freed five kidnapped victims from their captors in the Byazhin area of Kubwa, Bwari Area Council. The operation, personally led by the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Mohammed Sanusi, involved a combined force of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the Kubwa Area Command, local hunters and vigilante groups. The joint security team launched an intensive search, clearance and rescue operation across the Paze and Byazhin communities at approximately 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, following credible intelligence on the whereabouts of the victims.
FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, detailing how the security team engaged the suspected kidnappers in a fierce gun duel. The exchange resulted in the neutralization of two suspects and the arrest of two others identified as Icheh Mohammadu and Abubakar Usman, while other members of the gang fled into nearby hills with varying degrees of bullet wounds. The police team also recovered two AK-47 rifles with magazines during the operation.
“The sustained pressure mounted on the criminal elements forced them to abandon five hostages, who were promptly rescued unharmed,” SP Adeh said. “The rescued victims have since been taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention, while efforts are ongoing to reunite them with their families.”
The operation was triggered by the kidnapping of five residents of Paze community in the Byazhin ward, which occurred on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Earlier reports had indicated that armed bandits had invaded the Paze community, located within the Bwari Area Council, abducting five persons, including a pastor, while a local vigilante member identified as Shuaibu Yerima was shot dead during the attack. The six-day captivity of the victims ended when the joint security team tracked the gang to their hideout.
In a press briefing at the command headquarters on Wednesday, CP Sanusi said he personally led the operation that led to the death of the criminals. He disclosed that other gang members fled into nearby hills with bullet wounds. He added that search operations are continuing across the general area and adjoining communities with the aim of apprehending the fleeing suspects and dismantling the criminal network.
The police commissioner also called on healthcare practitioners, private and public hospitals and members of the public to promptly report any individual presenting gunshot related injuries or seeking treatment under suspicious circumstances. He emphasized that the sustained pressure on the criminal elements forced them to abandon the hostages, a tactic aimed at reducing the risk of casualties and avoiding a long, drawn-out firefight that could have endangered the captives.
CP Sanusi commended the bravery, resilience and professionalism displayed by the operatives and supporting local security volunteers during the operation. He reaffirmed the command’s resolve to combating kidnapping and other violent crimes across the FCT. “We will not rest until these criminal networks are completely dismantled,” the commissioner told reporters.
The FCT Police Command has urged members of the public to remain security conscious and report suspicious persons or activities to the nearest police station or through the command’s emergency numbers: 08032003913, 07057337653.
This latest successful rescue mission comes just days after the same command foiled an attempted kidnapping in the same area. On June 4, operatives of the FCT Police Command thwarted an attempt to abduct a couple in Byazhin, rescuing the husband and wife after a fierce gun battle that lasted over 30 minutes. The police also recovered an AK‑47 rifle and ammunition in that operation, which took place around 12:34 a.m. The success of that earlier operation appears to have built momentum for the current large‑scale clearance operation.
The back-to-back successes in Byazhin underscore the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing in the FCT, but they also highlight the persistent threat facing satellite towns on the edge of the capital. Byazhin, a sprawling community that blends the urban sprawl of Kubwa with the rugged hills and forests of the Bwari Area Council, has become a recurring flashpoint for kidnapping. The thick vegetation surrounding the area provides convenient cover for bandits, who often shuttle between hideouts in the FCT and neighbouring Niger and Kaduna states.
Residents of the Paze and Byazhin communities, who had lived in fear since the initial abduction, expressed relief at the rescue of their neighbours but fear that without a permanent security presence in the area, the bandits will simply regroup. The police are determined to prove them wrong, and with the hills still echoing with the sounds of a manhunt, the message is clear: the FCT is no longer a safe haven for kidnappers.
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