…As Police Kill 9 Suspects, Lose 6 Officers, Recover 21 AK-47 Rifles
Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police, CP Miller Dantawaye has revealed that the FCT Command, Abuja, recorded 300 cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, and other crimes between October and December 2025.
He added that this led to the arrest of 160 suspects, rescue of 32 victims, and the deaths of nine armed suspects and six police officers in gun battles.
CP Dantawaye revealed these figures during a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, attributing the crime surge to the city’s status as Nigeria’s political hub, which attracts both law-abiding citizens and criminals from neighbouring states.
Breaking down the incidents, Dantawaye said kidnapping cases stood at seven, with 41 suspects arrested through intelligence-led operations, forest combing, and joint efforts with other security agencies. Armed robbery recorded 62 cases and 38 arrests, dismantling several syndicates and recovering firearms. “One-chance” robberies numbered 26 with 12 arrests, while car theft and vehicle snatching hit 35 cases, yielding 11 arrests and recovery of 20 vehicles from various crimes.
Dantawaye said that additional arrests totaling 120 suspects covered homicide, cultism, drug offences, illegal firearms possession, cyber fraud, and other violent crimes were made. Recoveries included N15.45 million in cash, 21 AK-47 rifles, ten shotguns, one K2 rifle, 37 locally-made pistols, 31 fabricated firearms, 1,700 rounds of ammunition, 86 bags of suspected cannabis, 14 vehicles, and other exhibits like counterfeit stamps and ATM cards.
He attributed the successes to the directives from Inspector-General of Police Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun, emphasising intelligence-driven strategies, hotspot mapping, community policing, and inter-agency collaboration as part of the reason for the success.