The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested eight suspected members of a 'one-chance' robbery gang and three other suspects in separate armed robbery cases across Abuja.
The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists on the command’s recent achievements.
Sanusi said the eight suspected one-chance robbers were arrested following an investigation into an incident involving the wife of a police officer, who was allegedly robbed after boarding a taxi at AYA Roundabout.
According to him, the incident occurred on August 7, 2026, when the victim boarded a taxi and was picked up by members of the suspected gang.
He said the suspects allegedly took her mobile phone and other valuables before forcing her to transfer all the money in her bank account to them. They later pushed her out of the moving vehicle.
"Upon receipt of the report, I directed the Command’s tracking unit to carry out a detailed investigation into the crime. With the aid of digital reconstructive technology, we deconstructed the entire criminal operation, traced all electronic transactions and the mobile phone of the victim till we apprehended eight suspects," Sanusi said.
The suspects were identified as Yunusa Sani, Ismail Mohammed, Abubakar Usman, Haruna Musa, Abdulrazaq Mohammed, Isah Abdulrahman, Isa Abdullahi and Aliyu Shuaibu.
The police commissioner said further investigations led to the recovery of 21 mobile phones and three laptops, including the victim’s phone.
"Investigations revealed that Haruna Musa specialises in altering the IMEI numbers of stolen devices before reselling them to avoid detection," Sanusi said.
Sanusi said the police had also identified and traced people suspected of receiving the stolen properties, adding that the suspects and recovered items remained in custody pending the conclusion of investigations.
In another operation, the command arrested an armed robbery suspect, Chibuike Odeh, in the Daki-Biyu area of Jabi District.
Sanusi said the arrest followed a robbery complaint reported at Jabi Police Division on October 18, 2026, over an incident that allegedly occurred on September 26.
He said the victim was returning home from work when the suspect, who allegedly wore a face mask, attacked her, threatened her with a knife and took her handbag containing an iPhone and other valuables.
“He also withdrew money from the victim’s bank accounts using her phone and ATM card,” Sanusi said.
The commissioner said a surveillance team was deployed to the suspect’s last known location following the complaint, leading to his arrest at his residence in Daki-Biyu.
A search of the premises reportedly led to the recovery of a bag, a knife, a sharp iron, a black face mask, a power bank and a voter’s card.
The suspect remains in police custody and is expected to be charged in court after investigations are completed.
Sanusi also disclosed that police operatives arrested two suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate, identified as Jamilu Abdulsalam and Ibrahim Isa Sani, on September 17, 2026.
He said intelligence reports indicated that the syndicate operated in Abuja and parts of Nasarawa, Niger and Kogi states.
According to him, the suspects and their alleged accomplices studied their targets’ movements and routines before attacking them and stealing their valuables at gunpoint.
Abuja police nab eight one-chance suspects, three armed robbery suspects