- Safiu Kehinde
No fewer than six notorious armed robbery suspects linked to a series of violent crimes, particularly around nightclubs and recreational centres within the Abuja metropolis have been arrested by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command .
This was disclosed in a statement signed by SP Josephine Adeh, Police Public Relations Officer, FCT Police Command, Abuja.
According to the statement, the FCT Police Command had on Friday., acting on credible intelligence, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, psc., directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to ensure the immediate arrest of the criminal gang.
Consequently, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, SCID, DCP Aliyu Abubakar, deployed a discreet intelligence-led operation led by ACP Victor Godfrey, the Commander, Scorpion Squad. The team successfully tracked and raided the gang’s hideout at Dakwa, Dei-Dei area of the FCT, where the suspects were apprehended while planning a fresh attack.
The arrested suspects are: Suleiman Magaji (25); Abdullahi Abubakar (20); Abubakar Shitu ‘M’ (25); Sani Ibrahim (17);Rabiu Dahiru (19); Ahmen Abdullahi (26)
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are responsible for several armed robbery incidents within the FCT, including a recent robbery at Crystal Lounge, Wuse II, where a hotel guest was dispossessed of gold jewellery valued at approximately N15 million.
The stolen items were reportedly sold by the suspects for the sum of N1.2 million.
During the operation, the following exhibits were recovered: One black toy gun; local charms; Long and short knives and Forty-two (42) bags of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis-sativa
The suspects and exhibits are currently in Police custody and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, psc., commended the officers for their professionalism and gallantry. He also appreciated members of the public for the timely and useful information that led to the successful arrest of the suspects.