…Arrest robbery, drug suspects; recover arms, stolen vehicles
By Kingsley Omonobi
ABUJA — Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have killed three notorious kidnapping kingpins in a gun battle, rescued kidnap victims, and recorded major breakthroughs against robbery and drug syndicates in Abuja.
Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ajao Adewale, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists at the Command headquarters, describing the operations as proof of the police’s resilience, strong inter-agency collaboration, and residents’ support.
On September 18, operatives stormed a kidnappers’ hideout in Zinda Forest, near the Nigerian Army Estate, Kurudu, engaging the gang in a fierce shootout. The gang leader, Abdullahi Umar (alias Duna), and his lieutenants, Buba Ahmadi (Killer) and Habi Sule (Mai-Kudi), were killed.
Recovered items included two AK-49 rifles, two magazines with seven rounds of ammunition, ATM cards, phones, charms, and ₦10,000 cash. Investigations revealed the gang was behind multiple abductions in Guzape, Karu, Kurudu, and Nasarawa. Their plan to abduct a resident of Federal Housing Estate, Karu, was foiled by the raid.
CP Adewale also recounted how, on September 15, gunmen attacked Kpobi and Kpaduma 3 villages in Guzape, killing one vigilante, Bako Pwaza, and injuring two others, but failed to abduct two women after a swift police response. On September 17, the gang abducted Nafiu Idris, a staff of the FCTA Department of Urban Affairs, but joint security forces tracked and disrupted the criminals’ operations.
The Command also arrested 11 suspected drug dealers in raids across Abuja, recovering 68 bags of cannabis and other narcotics.
In anti-robbery operations, police apprehended three “one-chance” operators — Ahmed Mohammed, Ashafa Ali, and Mohammed Lamido Jabir — who robbed a victim, Mr. Kelvin Okorie, of ₦2.7 million in April. Three vehicles and stolen items linked to the gang were recovered.
Across other operations, police seized seven firearms, 18 stolen cars and trucks, and arrested nine suspects for vehicle theft.
Paying tribute to fallen operatives, CP Adewale mourned vigilante Bako Pwaza, calling him “a hero who paid the ultimate price in the service of his community.”
He assured residents that intelligence-driven patrols and joint operations with the military, DSS, hunters, and vigilantes will continue to dislodge criminal camps.
“Policing is most effective when communities partner with law enforcement. We cannot and will not allow the reckless acts of a few to endanger the safety, dignity, and well-being of millions of residents and visitors in the FCT,” Adewale said.
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