Officers attached to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command on Friday foiled an attempt by armed robbers who had vandalised several electricity transformers and distribution armoured cables in Abuja and were attempting to transport about 100 of the stolen cables to their buyers using a tinted-glass vehicle.
The operation followed an accident involving the vehicle conveying the cables after the driver sighted a police patrol team. The occupants of the vehicle fled the scene, and upon approaching the abandoned vehicle, police operatives discovered 131 vandalised electricity distribution cables inside, suspected to have been moved to receivers.
Briefing reporters in Abuja, the Commissioner of Police, CP Miller Dantawaye, said that since assuming duty in October 2025, the command has arrested 160 criminal elements involved in offences including armed robbery, kidnapping, one-chance robbery, car theft, cultism, illegal possession of firearms, cyber-related fraud and other violent crimes.
Dantawaye said, “During several high-risk operations, particularly anti-kidnapping and response to robbery operations, nine-armed suspects were neutralised following gun duels with police operatives while attempting to evade arrest or take away hostages.”
He added, “A total of 300 cases was reported, leading to the arrest of 160 suspects across various categories of crime,” noting that 41 kidnapping suspects were arrested following seven kidnapping cases recorded during the period.
According to him, “Several kidnapping gangs operating within and around the FCT were disrupted through intelligence-led operations, forest combing exercises, and joint operations with sister security agencies. Sixty-two (62) armed robbery cases were reported during the time under review, resulting in the arrest of 38 suspects. These operations led to the dismantling of several armed robbery syndicates and recovery of firearms and live ammunition.”
He further stated, “Twenty-six (26) ‘one-chance’ robbery cases were recorded during the period resulting in the arrest of 12 suspects after sustained surveillance, stop-and-search operations, and targeted raids.”
Dantawaye disclosed that “Thirty-five cases of car theft and vehicle snatching were recorded during the period, with 11 suspects arrested and 20 stolen vehicles recovered, comprising vehicles recovered from car theft, armed robbery, kidnapping, and ‘one-chance’ robbery operations, within and outside the FCT.”
He also said that 120 suspects were apprehended for crimes relating to homicide, cultism, drug-related offences, illegal possession of firearms, cyber-related fraud and other violent crimes.
Giving an update on kidnapping incidents in the FCT, the police commissioner said, “The Command successfully rescued 24 victims of kidnap, including women and children, from criminal hideouts and forest locations within and around the FCT.”
He added that “Victims of ‘one-chance’ robbery and other violent crimes numbering 8 were also rescued following prompt police interventions.”
In line with the command’s commitment to due process and effective justice delivery, Dantawaye said 96 suspects were charged to court during the period under review, out of which 60 convictions were secured, while other cases remain at various stages of prosecution.
“The cases charged include kidnapping, armed robbery, homicide, fraud-related offences, cultism, burglary, and other serious crimes,” he said.
He noted that disciplinary cases involving police personnel were addressed through appropriate internal mechanisms in accordance with extant regulations.
The police commissioner said 14 vehicles linked to car theft, armed robbery, kidnapping and one-chance robbery cases were recovered both within and outside the FCT, while 12 counterfeit stamps and counterfeit boarding tickets were also recovered.
He disclosed that cash recoveries amounting to fifteen million, four hundred and fifty thousand naira (₦15,450,000) were made from various criminal operations within the period, including proceeds of kidnapping, armed robbery, fraud and other crimes.
Dantawaye said significant firearms and other exhibits recovered during the period included 21 AK-47 rifles, 10 shotguns, one K2 rifle, 37 locally made pistols, 31 locally fabricated firearms, four magazines, 13 knives, seven cutlasses, two long scaffold rods and seven phones.
Other recovered items, he said, were 86 bags of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa, four digital scales, 131 armoured cables hidden in a tinted-glass vehicle, a hand saw and iron bar, three ATM cards, two identity cards, a large quantity of illicit drugs and substances, and 193 rounds of live ammunition of various calibres.
Additional exhibits recovered included communication devices, motorcycles, dangerous weapons and other items linked to criminal activities.
On personnel losses, the FCT police boss said, “It is with deep respect that the Command records that 6 police officers paid the supreme price in the line of duty during the period under review. Their sacrifices remain a solemn reminder of the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to the protection of lives and property. May their souls rest in peace.”
He commended the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for his strategic guidance, the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, for his continuous support, as well as residents of the Federal Capital Territory, sister security agencies, vigilante groups and community policing stakeholders for their cooperation.
Dantawaye urged residents to continue to provide relevant information to the police to enhance security across the nation’s capital.
