FCT Police Raid Abuja Crime Hotspots, Arrest 560 Suspects and Smash Kidnap Ring

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command arrested 560 suspects in a series of coordinated intelligence-led raids on identified criminal hotspots across Abuja, Commissioner of Police Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi disclosed at a press briefing at the FCT Police Command Headquarters on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

Sanusi said the operations were driven by community policing intelligence and targeted black spots across the territory. Recovered items included a locally fabricated pistol, a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, three live 9mm rounds, illicit drugs, and other exhibits. He said the achievements reflected the firm stance of the FCT Police Command that crime would not thrive in the nation’s capital.

Six-Member Kidnap Syndicate Busted in Maitama

Among the most significant breakthroughs was the arrest of a six-member kidnapping and one-chance robbery syndicate linked to the abduction of a female victim in Maitama. Operatives of the newly established Violent Crime Response Unit tracked the suspects after receiving a distress call on June 29, 2026, and found the victim held in Kwan-Kwashe Village, a remote settlement in Niger State.

Police recovered the full N8.25 million ransom paid by the victim’s family, two fully tinted operational vehicles, a cutlass, seven pairs of AirPods, jewellery suspected to have been stolen from previous victims, five mobile phones, and a laptop. Investigations revealed that gang leaders Ifeoma Nnamchi and Olanipekun Anuoluwa had previously been arrested in 2022 and 2019 respectively for similar offences but had regrouped. The gang had extorted approximately N12.8 million from at least five female victims since 2024.

CP Warns Against Tinted Vehicles

Sanusi warned the public against using fully tinted vehicles, saying criminal elements had consistently exploited tinted cars to conceal their operations from law enforcement. He said four suspected kidnappers and alleged suppliers of ammunition and illicit drugs to bandits were also arrested during clearance operations in the Kwali, Abaji, and Kuje Area Councils. He urged residents to partner with police by providing timely, credible intelligence. Consequently, the FCT command’s July enforcement drive delivered one of its largest single-operation arrest totals of 2026.