Pregnant Woman Working for Abuja Kidnap Gang Arrested as Police Bust Bandit Network, Recover Ransom Cash.

Pregnant Woman Working for Abuja Kidnap Gang Arrested as Police Bust Bandit Network, Recover Ransom Cash.

A dramatic police crackdown on a notorious kidnapping network operating around Abuja has led to the arrest of a heavily pregnant woman accused of cooking and supplying logistics for bandits and their hostages, alongside four other suspects linked to a string of abductions and ransom operations near the Federal Capital Territory.

A heavily pregnant woman who allegedly worked as a cook and logistics supplier for a notorious kidnapping and banditry gang operating around Abuja has been arrested alongside four other suspects by operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.

The suspects were paraded before journalists in Abuja on Monday by the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Sanusi, who disclosed that the arrests followed a major security clearance operation carried out on June 11, 2026, in the Byazin area on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory.

According to the police commissioner, the operation led to the arrest of several suspected bandits, the neutralisation of others during an exchange of fire, and the successful rescue of kidnapped victims held captive by the criminal network.

Sanusi revealed that the pregnant suspect, identified as Hauwa Shafiu, played a critical support role within the gang by preparing meals and supplying logistics not only to the kidnappers but also to their hostages while they remained in captivity.

“As a follow-up to that operation, upon further engagements, we stormed another suspected bandits’ and kidnappers’ hideout within the same area and arrested more suspects,” the commissioner stated.

“One of the suspects, Hauwa Shafiu, operated as a logistics supplier and cook for the criminal gang and their hostages. She was heavily pregnant at the time of her arrest, yet her condition did not stop her from participating in these criminal activities.”

Sanusi disclosed that shortly after her arrest, the suspect went into labour and was immediately taken to a hospital on his directive.

“The baby is sound and safe. She too is stable. We have provided every medical need while she recuperates under police custody at the command’s clinic,” he added.

Other suspects arrested during the operation were identified as Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, and Shamsudeen Mustapha.

Preliminary investigations, according to the police, revealed that the suspects belonged to a well-organised criminal network responsible for several kidnapping and banditry attacks within Abuja and neighbouring communities.

The commissioner explained that the gang had strategically infiltrated a local settlement situated barely one kilometre from the FCT boundary, allowing them to blend into the community while gathering intelligence and coordinating attacks on residents and travellers.

“The group embedded itself inside the community to avoid suspicion and to effectively monitor targeted individuals and locations before carrying out attacks,” Sanusi said.

During the raid, security operatives recovered several items believed to have been used by the gang in their operations. The exhibits included four motorcycles, multiple mobile phones, a Point of Sale (POS) machine, cooking utensils, cash, and a quantity of hard drugs suspected to have been supplied to gang members.

Police specifically recovered 31 tablets of 500mg tramadol and 10 tablets of 50mg tramadol from the suspects.

Sanusi revealed that investigators also recovered N320,000 in cash, which one of the suspects allegedly confessed was his share from a N7 million ransom recently paid by relatives of a kidnapping victim.

“According to the confession of one of the suspects, the N320,000 recovered from him was his portion of the ransom proceeds,” the commissioner disclosed.

The police further uncovered that one of the suspects admitted providing a motorcycle to help two bandits flee during the June 11 operation, confirming the existence of an internal support network aiding criminal escape routes.

Another suspect, Shamsudeen Mustapha, was identified by investigators as a major supplier of illicit drugs to the bandit group.

In a strong warning to criminal elements operating around the FCT, the commissioner announced that the command, in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration, would demolish all identified hideouts linked to banditry and kidnapping activities.

“We have already identified several of their houses, and from here we are proceeding to demolish them alongside the FCT Administration,” Sanusi declared.

“Any house discovered to be harbouring criminals or aiding these activities will be brought down.”

The police commissioner also disclosed that several fleeing bandits had already been declared wanted after security agencies obtained their photographs and intelligence details.

“As they are looking for us, we are equally looking for them,” he warned, reaffirming the command’s readiness to intensify operations against criminal groups threatening the security of residents in and around Abuja.

The latest arrests come amid growing concerns over rising kidnapping incidents and bandit attacks around the nation’s capital, with security agencies under increasing pressure to dismantle criminal networks exploiting rural communities bordering the FCT.