The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested six members of a notorious “one chance” kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate, recovered the full ₦8.25 million ransom collected from a victim’s family, and apprehended four other suspects linked to kidnapping, arms trafficking and drug supply to bandits.
Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, disclosed this during a press briefing at the FCT Police Command Headquarters in Abuja on Monday, saying the breakthroughs underscored the command’s determination to rid the nation’s capital of violent criminals.
Sanusi said the operation followed a distress call received on June 29 over the suspected abduction of a young woman in the Maitama area of Abuja.
According to him, the kidnappers initially demanded ₦20 million from the victim’s family but eventually collected ₦8.25 million before releasing her on July 3.
He explained that police operatives tracked the suspects to Kwan-Kwashe Village in neighbouring Niger State, where the victim had been held captive, and sustained surveillance until six members of the gang were arrested in Suleja on July 5.
The suspects were identified as Ifeoma Nnamchi, 35, described as the gang leader; Peter Rasheed Onwunumah, 40; Olanipekun Anuoluwa, 46; Jemimah Monday, 25; Gabriel Nnamchi, 14; and Stanley Nnamchi, 17.
Sanusi revealed that two of the suspects, Nnamchi and Anuoluwa, had previously been arrested by the FCT Police Command in 2022 and 2019 respectively for similar offences but returned to criminal activities after their release.
Recovered from the suspects were the entire ₦8.25 million ransom, two operational vehicles—a Toyota Corolla and a Toyota Camry—one cutlass, seven EarPods, several pieces of jewellery suspected to have been stolen from previous victims, five mobile phones and a laptop.
Investigations, according to the police commissioner, showed that the syndicate had been operating along the Kubwa Expressway, Maitama Federal Housing Road and other parts of the FCT since 2024.
He added that the gang confessed to kidnapping and robbing at least five female victims in recent operations, extorting about ₦12.8 million in ransom.
In a separate operation, Sanusi said operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, working with other security agencies, arrested four suspected kidnappers and logistics suppliers to bandits during clearance operations in Kwali, Abaji and Kuje Area Councils.
The suspects, identified as Bello Abdullahi, Shuaibu Iliya, Idris Abubakar and Misbahu Isa, were apprehended after security forces raided criminal hideouts in the Nago Forest.
He disclosed that Isa later led operatives to Zuba Motor Park, where 42 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition were recovered from his Volkswagen Golf vehicle.
The police commissioner alleged that Isa was an arms dealer supplying ammunition to kidnappers and bandits operating in Niger, Kaduna and Kogi states and had recently delivered more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition for ₦3 million.
Other items recovered during the operation included bottles of codeine-based cough syrups, wraps of suspected cannabis, tramadol tablets and capsules, Exzole tablets, a magazine loaded with six rounds of live ammunition, cash, clothing and a mobile phone.
Sanusi also disclosed that intelligence-led raids conducted across identified criminal hotspots in the FCT during the past week resulted in the arrest of 560 suspects.
He said operatives recovered a locally fabricated pistol, a locally made AK-47 rifle, three rounds of 9mm ammunition and various illicit substances during the operations.
The commissioner assured residents that the command would sustain its offensive against criminal elements and urged members of the public to continue providing credible information to support ongoing security operations across the Federal Capital Territory.