ABUJA, Nigeria — The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has announced the arrest of four suspects linked to a kidnapping and banditry network operating on the outskirts of Abuja, including a heavily pregnant woman who allegedly served as a cook and logistics supplier for the criminal gang and its hostages.
In a statement issued on Monday, Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the command, disclosed that the arrests were made following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance operations targeting criminal elements responsible for a series of abductions along the Kubwa-Bwari axis and other vulnerable areas within the FCT.
The pregnant suspect, whose identity was not released for legal reasons, is accused of cooking meals for both the gang members and their victims while also procuring food items and other supplies from nearby communities. According to police sources, her role was critical to the gang’s ability to maintain prolonged captivity of victims while evading detection.
The other three suspects, all male, were identified as active participants in kidnapping operations, including scouting for potential victims, negotiating ransoms with families, and providing armed security at the gang’s hideouts. The police spokesperson stated that weapons, mobile phones, and sums of money suspected to be ransom payments were recovered from the suspects during their arrest.
Adeh further revealed that the arrests led to the successful rescue of six kidnap victims who had been held in a forest hideout along the border between the FCT and Niger State. The victims, who included two women, three men, and a teenage boy, have been reunited with their families after receiving medical and psychological support.
The police command’s anti-kidnapping unit acted on actionable intelligence provided by local vigilantes and community members who reported suspicious movements in the area. The operation involved a coordinated raid on the gang’s camp, which was situated in a remote, hard-to-reach location that had previously served as a safe haven for criminal groups evading security patrols.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, commended the operatives for their professionalism and urged residents to continue providing timely information to law enforcement agencies. He reiterated that the command remains committed to dismantling criminal networks operating within the territory and ensuring that Abuja remains inhospitable to kidnappers and bandits.
The commissioner also raised concerns about the involvement of a pregnant woman in criminal activities. He called on families and community leaders to pay closer attention to the activities of women in their midst, noting that criminal gangs are increasingly using women and juveniles as logistics operatives because they attract less suspicion from security forces.
The arrested pregnant woman is currently in police custody and receiving medical attention. The police have confirmed that she will be charged to court alongside her accomplices once investigations are concluded. Authorities are also working to determine whether the gang was connected to other kidnapping incidents reported in the FCT and neighbouring states in recent months.
This arrest follows a pattern of similar discoveries by security agencies across Nigeria. In several states, women—including pregnant women and nursing mothers—have been apprehended for roles ranging from intelligence gathering to food supply and even weapons concealment for bandit and terrorist groups.
Community leaders in the Kubwa-Bwari area have welcomed the arrests, describing them as a major breakthrough. For months, residents had lived in fear of nocturnal raids and abductions along major roads and farmlands. Many expressed hope that the operation would restore calm and encourage displaced farmers to return to their fields.
As the police continue their investigations, the message to criminal elements operating in the FCT is unambiguous: no one, regardless of gender or condition, will be spared from arrest and prosecution. For now, the heavily pregnant cook sits in a police cell, a stark reminder that crime has no gender and that justice, when it comes, does not discriminate.
