The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested five suspects linked to a kidnapping and banditry network operating on the outskirts of Abuja. Among those in custody is a heavily pregnant woman who worked as a cook and logistics supplier for the criminal gang and their hostages.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, paraded the suspects before journalists in Abuja on Monday, June 16, 2026. He said the arrests followed a clearance operation at Byazin on June 11, 2026, where some bandits were arrested, others neutralised, and kidnap victims rescued.
The pregnant suspect, identified as Hauwa Shafiu, was arrested despite her condition. According to Sanusi, she continued to supply food and logistics to the gang and their captives.
“She was heavily pregnant at the time of her arrest, even though her pregnancy did not deter her from continuously committing this heinous crime,” he said. After her arrest, police took her to hospital where she gave birth safely. Both mother and baby are reported to be stable and under medical care at the police clinic.
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Other suspects arrested are Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, and Shamsudeen Mustapha. Sanusi said preliminary investigations showed the group had infiltrated a local community about one kilometre from the FCT boundary.
The location allowed them to gather intelligence and coordinate repeated attacks on targeted persons and areas.
Items recovered from the suspects include four motorcycles, 41 tablets of tramadol, five phones, a POS machine, cooking utensils and N320,000 cash.
The commissioner said the cash was part of proceeds from a recent kidnapping ransom. One suspect confessed that the N320,000 was his share of a N7 million ransom paid by victims’ families. Another suspect admitted supplying a motorcycle to help two fleeing bandits escape during the June 11 operation.
Sanusi added that Mustapha was an active drug supplier to the bandit network. He also announced that the command, in collaboration with the FCT Administration, will demolish identified hideouts used by the suspects.
“Any such houses that we continue to identify, we will continue to bring down,” he said. The police boss also declared several bandits wanted and warned that security forces were prepared for confrontation.
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