Senate orders crackdown on bandits flaunting crime cash on TikTok

FCT Police Commission| Credit: PBM

By News Desk

Prime Brief Media | June 16, 2026

ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has 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. 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.

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.

The demolition operation and razing down of the kidnappers' hideout was led by the CP. The operation was carried out by the command in partnership with the Development Control Department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCDA). The commissioner told newsmen during the operation that the hideout was located at the border area between the FCT, Niger and Kaduna States. Sanusi said the command would take over the demolished site to ensure that the kidnappers were permanently out of the area.

Key Facts

• Location: Paze–Byazhin hills, outskirts of Abuja
• Arrested: Four suspects (Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, Hauwa Shafiu, Shamsudeen Mustapha)
• Camp dismantled: June 15, 2026
• Suspects linked to kidnapping and banditry network
• Camp used for target selection and attack planning
• Operation led by FCT Commissioner of Police Ahmed Sanusi
• Pregnant suspect delivered baby in custody