Police assure FCT residents of safety after arresting kidnap suspects

The Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory Command, Ahmed Sanusi, has assured residents of their safety.

This is as police arrest three suspects linked to multiple kidnapping incidents across the border communities of the FCT.

Sanusi gave the assurance on Thursday during a strategic operational tour of Gidandogo, Garam and Kungabako villages in Bwari Area Council, located along the boundaries of the FCT, Niger and Kaduna states.

A statement by the command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh said during the operation, the CP personally led targeted raids which resulted in the interception and arrest of three suspected kidnappers identified as Nasiru Abdullahi, Samaila Dahiru and Bello Usman.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that Nasiru Abdullahi and Samaila Dahiru of Kweri village, Kaduna State, are responsible for the kidnapping of one Mallam Bako from his farmland in Gushawai village on 8th April 2026, after which he was taken to Kweri forest, where a ransom of ₦50 million was demanded before his eventual rescue by operatives of the FCT Police Command Anti-Kidnapping Unit, ” the statement read.

The police further disclosed that the suspects were also part of a gang responsible for the abduction of 20 persons in Byazin.

According to her, the third suspect, Bello Usman, also known as Dagejo, is a notorious informant and logistics supplier who had been on the police watchlist for two years. He was said to be coordinating with bandits from Kaduna State to support criminal operations within the FCT.

The command said one AK-47 rifle, one magazine and 12 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from Usman at the time of his arrest.

Sanusi assured residents of the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, urging them to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to security agencies.

“While assuring members of the public of the Command’s commitment to public safety, the Commissioner of Police also urges residents of the FCT to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons or activities to the FCT Police Command through its emergency lines, ” he said.

This comes amid renewed international concern over Nigeria’s security situation after the United States Department of State urged its citizens to reconsider travel to Nigeria, citing risks including terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping.

The advisory placed some states under the highest warning level and authorised the departure of non-emergency staff and their families from the U.S. Embassy in Abuja over what Washington described as a deteriorating security situation.

Despite the warning, the U.S. noted ongoing security cooperation with Abuja, including counter-terrorism support, intelligence sharing, maritime security collaboration and the deployment of U.S.-supplied surveillance aircraft and helicopters to assist Nigerian forces in operations against insurgents and armed groups.