The Federal Capital Territory Police Command on Tuesday said it has dismantled a seven-man gang which specialised in armed robbery and car jacking in Abuja.
It said that it received credible information that the syndicate was planning to rob an unsuspecting victim in the Maitama area of the FCT on May 19, 2025, and intercepted it.
“On sighting the officers, the gang members opened fire. In the ensuing gun duel, one of the suspects, Abdulmininu Bello aka Babanle, was neutralised, while seven others, aged between 18 and 51, were arrested at the scene.
“Their gang leader, Solomon Bawa aka Pastor Mogu, and one other suspect fled with gunshot wounds,” the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said in a statement.
The PPRO explained that upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to belonging to a deadly armed network specialised in snatching SUVs and luxury vehicles from unsuspecting victims, mostly at gunpoint during late-night roadside ambushes or through deception.
She noted that investigations revealed that they “operated a WhatsApp group through which they planned and coordinated their attacks, often relying on insider information from domestic staff of targeted victims”.
“The suspects also admitted to the sale of a custom-colored Toyota Camry, popularly known as ‘Big-for-Nothing,’ for N700,000, and a Lexus SUV for N1 million. They further confessed to the 2015 murder of an MTN worker in Kaduna State,” she added.
Exhibits recovered from the scene, according to the statement, include a 2004 Toyota Camry LE, one red boxer motorcycle, two locally made pistols with 10 rounds of live 9mm ammunition, four AK47 and magazines, 11 rounds of live 7.62 ammunition, and one locally made shotgun.
The statement added, “The FCT command calls on members of the public who may have come across anyone with suspicious injuries to report same to the Police for prompt investigations.
It said the suspects were in police custody and would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT, commends the bravery and professionalism of the operatives involved in the operation and reaffirms the Command’s commitment to ridding the FCT of all forms of violent crime.”
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