In separate operations, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command said it arrested four suspected members of a kidnapping and banditry network and dismantled a suspected terrorist camp concealed within the Paze–Byazhin hills on the outskirts of Abuja.
The arrests followed a recent anti-kidnapping and rescue operation led by the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Ahmed Sanusi, on 9 June, in the hilly area, Josephine Adeh, the command’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Monday.
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She said the police, acting on intelligence, carried out a follow-up raid on 11 June at a hideout in the Paze hills, a remote area bordering the FCT, Kaduna, and Niger states.
Four suspects—Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, Hauwa Shafiu and Shamsudeen Mustapha—were arrested during the operation, the police spokesperson said.
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According to Ms Adeh, preliminary investigations revealed that the camp served as a meeting point where armed bandits coordinated movements, selected targets and planned attacks across the FCT and neighbouring states.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects are part of a coordinated criminal network involved in kidnapping and banditry activities within the FCT and adjoining states,” she said.
In a subsequent operation on Monday, 15 June, Mr Sanusi, the command’s boss, led another team of operatives to the location, where the camp was completely dismantled.
Makeshift shelters and storage facilities allegedly used by the criminal network were destroyed, effectively disrupting its operations.
The police spokesperson said one of the suspects, Ms Shafiu, served as a logistics supplier and cook for the criminal network and their captives.
She added that the suspect was pregnant at the time of arrest and has since delivered a healthy baby while in lawful custody, where she continues to receive adequate medical care alongside the newborn.
Ms Adeh said investigations are continuing as efforts intensify to track down other members of the network and dismantle the wider criminal structure operating within the area.
Kidnapping in Abuja
Despite being Nigeria’s seat of power, Abuja has witnessed a troubling rise in kidnappings and violent attacks in recent years, particularly in communities on the outskirts of the city and along major highways connecting the FCT to neighbouring states.
The Bwari Area Council has emerged as one of the most affected locations with communities such as Kuchibuyi, Byazhin, Kubwa and others recording violent attacks and abductions.
In November 2025, more than 30 heavily armed men invaded the Guto community, surrounding homes and roads while attempting to abduct a resident believed to be a security operative. The attack resulted in the death of a police officer and heightened fears among residents, many of whom considered relocating because of persistent insecurity.
Similar attacks have occurred in neighbouring communities. In March 2026, suspected bandits raided Kungaboku, a farming settlement near Byazhin, abducting a retired military officer, three children and several farm workers, while killing a vigilante member. Residents subsequently called for a permanent police presence, arguing that repeated attacks were forcing people to abandon their homes and farms.
High-profile abductions have also underscored the growing threat. In January 2026, Abuja-based lawyer and former Treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), FCT Branch, Nwamaka Chigbo, was abducted and later killed by her captors, drawing widespread condemnation and renewed concerns about the safety of residents in the capital.
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The problem extends beyond residential communities. Armed groups have repeatedly targeted travellers on highways leading into and out of Abuja, including the Abuja–Lokoja Road, one of the country’s busiest transport corridors. Kidnappers have also exploited remote settlements and forested areas around the FCT, using difficult terrain and porous borders with Niger and Kaduna states to evade security forces.
Security experts and community leaders have attributed the persistence of kidnapping in Abuja to the rapid expansion of settlements into poorly policed border areas, inadequate security infrastructure, and the presence of forests and hills that provide safe havens for criminal groups.
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