FCT Police dismantle kidnapping camp, arrest four suspects

Police in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory have dismantled a suspected terrorist and kidnapping camp and arrested multiple suspects linked to a criminal network operating on the outskirts of Abuja. The operations, which culminated on Monday, June 15, 2026, targeted a hideout concealed within the Paze-Byazhin hills, a remote area bordering the FCT, Kaduna, and Niger states.

Federal Capital Territory Police Commissioner Ahmed Sanusi announced the arrests and the camp's demolition during a briefing with journalists on Monday. The actions followed an initial anti-kidnapping and rescue operation led by Sanusi in the hilly area on June 9. Acting on intelligence, police conducted a follow-up raid on June 11, arresting four suspects: Yahaya Abdullahi, Muhammed Yunusa, Hauwa Shafiu, and Shamsudeen Mustapha.

Preliminary investigations indicate the suspects are part of a coordinated network involved in kidnapping and banditry within the FCT and neighboring states. According to police, the camp served as a meeting point where armed bandits coordinated movements, selected targets, and planned attacks. The group had reportedly infiltrated a local community approximately one kilometer from...