Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has identified several criminal hotspots across Abuja and arrested 560 suspects during coordinated intelligence-led raids aimed at tackling the rising tide of crime in the nation's capital, Commissioner of Police Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi disclosed on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters. The operations, which were carried out by various police divisions across the territory, targeted identified black spots as part of a renewed offensive against criminal activities and resulted in the recovery of arms, ammunition, illicit drugs, and other incriminating exhibits.
According to Sanusi, the raids were driven by intelligence gathering and community policing, reflecting the command's commitment to ensuring that criminal elements no longer find safe havens within the Federal Capital Territory. "The FCT Police Command, through intelligence gathering and community policing, has identified and raided several criminal hotspots across the Federal Capital Territory in the past week," the police commissioner stated. He explained that the operations were conducted by divisions across the command, resulting in the arrest of 560 suspects and the recovery of illicit drugs, arms, and other exhibits. Items recovered during the raids included one locally fabricated pistol, one locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, and three rounds of 9mm live ammunition.
Beyond the sweeping raids, the police chief highlighted several major breakthroughs recorded by the command, including the dismantling of a notorious six-member kidnapping and "one chance" robbery syndicate linked to the abduction of a female victim in the upscale Maitama area of Abuja. The operation began on 29 June 2026, when the command received a distress call reporting the abduction of a young woman in Maitama. A team from the Command's Violent Crime Response Unit was immediately deployed, and digital tracking revealed that the kidnappers had taken the victim to Kwan-Kwashe Village, a remote settlement in neighbouring Niger State.
Although the suspects collected N8.25 million from the victim's family before releasing her on 3 July 2026, police operatives sustained the operation and arrested six members of the gang in Suleja, Niger State, on 5 July 2026. The suspects were identified as Ifeoma Nnamchi, 35, alleged to be the gang leader; Peter Rasheed Onwunumah, 40; Olanipekun Anuoluwa, 46; Jemimah Monday, 25; Gabriel Nnamchi, 14; and Stanley Nnamchi, 17. Two of those arrested are children of the gang leader.
Items recovered from the suspects included the full N8.25 million ransom, two operational vehicles—a Toyota Corolla with registration number SMK 559 FV and a Toyota Camry with registration number YAB 712 NH—a cutlass, seven pairs of AirPods, several pieces of jewellery suspected to have been stolen from previous victims, five mobile phones, and a laptop. Investigations revealed that the gang had operated along the Kubwa Expressway, Maitama Federal Housing Road, and other parts of the FCT since 2024 and had extorted about N12.8 million from at least five female victims. The police commissioner further disclosed that the alleged gang leader, Ifeoma Nnamchi, and another suspect, Olanipekun Anuoluwa, had previously been arrested by the FCT Police Command in 2022 and 2019 respectively for similar offences.
In a separate but related operation, the command arrested four suspected kidnappers and alleged suppliers of ammunition and illicit drugs to bandits during clearance operations around Kwali, Abaji, and Kuje Area Councils. The suspects were identified as Bello Abdullahi, Shuaibu Iliya, Idris Abubakar, and Misbahu Isa. One of the suspects, Misbahu Isa, led investigators to Zuba Motor Park, where officers recovered 42 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed inside his vehicle. Investigations further revealed that Isa allegedly supplied ammunition to kidnappers and bandits operating in Niger, Kaduna, and Kogi states, claiming he had recently delivered over 20,000 rounds of live ammunition to wanted bandits and kidnappers and received N3 million as payment. Other exhibits recovered during the operation included codeine syrup, cannabis, tramadol tablets, cash, a magazine loaded with six rounds of live ammunition, and a mobile phone.
The police commissioner also warned the public against the use of tinted glasses on vehicles, stating that criminal elements have been using such vehicles for their nefarious activities. He reaffirmed the command's commitment to sustaining its offensive against crime, declaring: "The FCT Police Command will not rest on its oars until these criminal elements are flushed out of the Federal Capital Territory". He urged residents to continue supporting the police with credible and timely information that would assist in anti-crime operations aimed at safeguarding lives and property across the FCT.
The arrests mark a significant victory in the fight against kidnapping and organised crime in the Federal Capital Territory, demonstrating the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and digital tracking in dismantling criminal syndicates. The recovery of the full ransom also underscores the command's commitment to ensuring that crime does not pay. As the suspects await arraignment in court, residents of Abuja and its environs can take some comfort in knowing that some of the most notorious criminal syndicates operating in the nation's capital have been taken off the streets.
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