Police foil Independence Day attacks, arrest four suspects

The operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command have arrested four suspects who were planning to attack government institutions and estates in the nation’s capital on Independence Day.

The command said the suspects were intercepted and arrested in their hideout in the Sauka area of the FCT following an intelligence report on their activities.

In a statement on Thursday, the command spokesperson Josephine Adeh identified the suspects as Yau Sani, a.k.a. Baba (an ex-convict), Nuhu, a.k.a. Giwa, Kabiru Mohammed and Yusuf Hassan.

Adeh said the suspects also confessed to kidnapping several people in the FCT, Kaduna, and Niger and killed seven.

She said, “The Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the FCT Police Command on 1st October 2024, acting on credible intelligence, trailed and arrested four notorious kidnappers who have been terrorizing the Federal Capital Territory namely: YAU SANI, a.k.a. Baba (an ex-convict), NUHU, a.k.a. Giwa, Kabiru Mohammed, and Yusuf Hassan, at their criminal hideout in Sauka, Abuja living within the general population.

“The suspects confessed to being responsible for a series of kidnappings of unsuspecting residents in FCT and its environs, the killing of seven victims in the process.

“These gangs have attacked Dakwa, Dawaki, Aco estate, Dupe Village, Zuma rock, Kuchiko village, and some villages in Niger and Kaduna.”

Adeh said the suspects after their arrest led Policemen to a forest in Niger where they hid their weapons.

She added that a total of four AK-47 guns and 175 ammunition were recovered from the suspects.

Adeh said,” They also led Police operatives to another hideout in Gauraka Forest, Suleja, Niger State, where they dug out four AK-47 rifles, 13 AK-47 magazines, and 162 rounds of 7.6 mm live ammunition.

“The suspects also confessed their intending plans to attack some government institutions and estates within the FCT, which have been proactively prevented by the Command.

“The command wishes to reiterate its commitment to stamping out crime and criminality within the FCT. It urges members of the public to report any suspicious or unusual activities to the police emergency lines. “