The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested eight suspects, including a wanted ammunition supplier, during a series of coordinated operations targeting kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, and arms trafficking networks operating within Abuja and neighboring states.
Key Highlights:
- Federal Capital Territory Police Command arrested eight suspects linked to kidnapping, robbery, murder, and arms trafficking.
- Three suspected kidnappers were arrested, and an AK-47 rifle with ammunition was recovered.
- Police solved the murder of Emmanuel Chukwuemeka and arrested two suspects.
- A wanted ammunition supplier, Yau Sule, and his sister were arrested with large quantities of ammunition.
- Two suspected “one-chance” robbers were also apprehended with stolen items and weapons.
Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, FCT Commissioner of Police, , disclosed that the operations led to the arrest of three suspected kidnappers, two individuals linked to a kidnapping and murder case, a wanted ammunition dealer and his sister, as well as two alleged “one-chance” robbers.
According to the police commissioner, investigations began after videos surfaced on social media showing armed men dressed in military camouflage displaying AK-47 rifles, ammunition, and communication equipment.
A forensic and intelligence-led operation traced the suspects to Runji Village in Zuba, where police arrested Umar Babangida (25), Adamu Yeti (22), and Yahaya Idris (24), all residents of Rijana, Kaduna State.
Police investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly obtained an AK-47 rifle from a gang leader known as “Esco,” who remains at large.
Officers recovered an AK-47 rifle loaded with 30 rounds of live ammunition, eight mobile phones, two jackknives, power banks, and other items believed to be connected to criminal activities.
Authorities said efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing gang leader and recover additional weapons.
The Command also announced a breakthrough in the investigation into the disappearance and murder of 22-year-old Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, who was reported missing on April 21.
Working in collaboration with the Benue State Police Command, detectives arrested Emmanuel Acha Leku, a 32-year-old Cameroonian national, alongside his girlfriend, Kazan Vincent, in Adikpo, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.
Investigators alleged that Leku accused the deceased of withholding proceeds from a fraudulent scheme.
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He reportedly lured the victim to a remote area in Lokogoma, killed him, and later demanded a ₦5 million ransom from family members using the victim’s mobile phone in an attempt to disguise the crime as a kidnapping.
Police recovered two phones from the suspect, including one belonging to the deceased, and subsequently located the victim’s decomposing remains. The body has been deposited at a hospital mortuary in Apo pending autopsy.
In a separate operation, police arrested Yau Sule, a suspected ammunition supplier who had been on the Command’s wanted list since 2023.
He was intercepted on June 2 along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway. During the operation, officers recovered 81 rounds of 7.62mm AK-47 ammunition and 100 rounds of 7.62mm belted ammunition intended for a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG).
Police said Sule later led investigators to the arrest of his sister, Maria Sule, who is alleged to have assisted in supplying ammunition to terrorists and bandits.
Authorities further claimed that Maria is married to a wanted bandit, Buhari Shuaibu, who is accused of orchestrating attacks across communities in the FCT, Kaduna, and Niger states.
Preliminary investigations suggest the suspects were part of a network supplying weapons, ammunition, and logistics to armed groups operating across North-Central Nigeria.
The Command also arrested two suspected one-chance robbers following a distress call from a female victim along the Giri-Lugbe Road.
Police operatives swiftly tracked and intercepted a Volkswagen Golf vehicle carrying Muhammed Muhammed (22) and Muhammed Saidu (20). Recovered items included a laptop computer, an iPhone, a laptop charger, two knives, and a pair of scissors.
CP Sanusi commended officers involved in the operations and urged residents to continue providing credible intelligence to security agencies.
He emphasized that investigations into all cases remain ongoing and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks threatening the safety of residents in the Federal Capital Territory and surrounding communities.
