By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested four suspected members of a criminal network allegedly involved in kidnapping and banditry activities in the Paze-Byazhin Hills area bordering Niger State, Kaduna State, and the FCT.
The suspects, identified as Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, Hauwa Shafiu, and Shamsudeen Mustapha, were arrested during a tactical operation led by the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, PhD, FCAI.
According to the Police Command, the arrests followed an anti-kidnapping and rescue operation conducted on June 9, 2026, in the Paze-Byazhin area.
Acting on intelligence gathered during the operation, the police launched a follow-up raid on June 11, targeting a suspected hideout located in the hills bordering the FCT, Kaduna, and Niger states.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were part of a coordinated criminal network supporting kidnapping and banditry operations across the region.
Police said the suspects confessed during interrogation that the location served as a meeting point where armed bandits coordinated movements, exchanged information on intended targets, and planned attacks.
They also admitted to providing logistical support, including food supplies, medical assistance, illicit drugs, and other materials to criminal groups operating in the area.
In a separate operation led by the Commissioner of Police on June 15, security operatives stormed the identified hideout and completely dislodged the criminal camp. Makeshift structures and storage facilities allegedly used by the suspects were destroyed, disrupting the group’s operational base.
The Command further disclosed that one of the suspects, Hauwa Shafiu, who allegedly served as a cook and logistics supplier for the network, was pregnant at the time of her arrest. She later delivered a healthy baby while in lawful custody and is currently receiving medical care alongside the newborn.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said investigations are ongoing as efforts continue to identify and apprehend other members of the network and dismantle the wider criminal structure operating within the region.
She reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to combating kidnapping, banditry, and other violent crimes within the FCT and its neighbouring states.
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