Police in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have arrested a pregnant woman and two other suspects accused of supplying logistical support to kidnappers operating around Abuja.
The FCT Police Command presented the suspects during a briefing on Monday, saying the arrests followed a series of coordinated anti-kidnapping operations in the Bwari Area Council.
Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Mohammed Sanusi, said officers carried out an initial operation on 9 June 2026 in the Paze-Byazhin area, followed by a second raid on 11 June, which led to the arrest of additional suspects at a suspected criminal hideout.
Those arrested were identified as Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, Hauwa Shafiu, and Shamsudeen Mustapha.
According to the police, preliminary investigations suggest the suspects were part of a wider criminal network involved in kidnapping and banditry activities within and around the FCT. Authorities also allege that the group had blended into local communities to gather intelligence and coordinate attacks on victims.
The police said one of the suspects, Hauwa Shafiu, was responsible for providing logistics, including food supply to kidnappers and their captives.
“One of the suspects, a female, Hauwa Shafiu, who operates as a logistics supplier and cook for the criminal gang and their hostages, was heavily pregnant at the time of her arrest. She subsequently delivered a healthy baby while in police custody,” the CP said.
Items recovered during the operation include four motorcycles, several tablets of Tramadol, ₦320,000 in cash, mobile phones, a POS machine, and cooking utensils.
CP Sanusi said investigations are ongoing and the suspects will be charged to court upon completion of inquiries.
Kidnapping remains a major security challenge in parts of Nigeria, with criminal groups often relying on local informants and logistical support networks to carry out attacks and evade security forces.
