The FCT Police Command said on Tuesday that it had arrested five notorious armed robbery suspects and a car snatching syndicate.
The suspects are: John Peter, 30, gang leader, Solomon Atabo, 33, Salisu Suleiman, 29, Olobo Rilwan, 25, and Emeka Umera, 34.
The FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Musa Kimo, who presented the suspect to newsmen, said they were arrested through the inter-agency collaboration initiative of the command.
He explained that Peter was arrested by the police after he went into hiding on hearing that four of his members were arrested on March 6 by the Army and transferred to the command for investigation.
Kimo said that eight locally made pistols used for the operation were recovered from the suspects.
He said that the suspects who had all confessed to the crime would be charged to court on conclusion of investigation.
In a related development, Kimo said the police had arrested an armed robbery/murder suspect, Obinna Echianu, 42, who hailed from Aba in Abia.
Kimo said that the suspect was arrested by police attached to the command’s special anti-kidnapping squad at Apo mechanic village, Abuja on March 13.
He said the suspect killed a cab operator who he hired on Dec. 22, 2016 at the Berger junction to convey him and his members now at large, to Airport road in Abuja.
Kimo said the victim was murdered at the Gosa pedestrian bridge after being robbed of his phone, cash and Nissan Almera car which was driven to his house in Aba.
The commissioner said the suspect confessed to have personally killed the deceased with the help of his cohort who was at large.
“Efforts have been intensified to arrest his cohort who is now at large,“he said.
Kimo said the suspect would be arraigned in court on conclusion of investigation into the crime.
The commissioner said that the command had also arrested four suspected kidnappers linked with the kidnapping of a Fulani girl at Wumi village, in Gwagwalada area of Abuja on March 19.
The suspects are : Abdullahi Sanda, 25, Abubakar Muhammad,30, Shehu Usman, 30, and Usman Abubakar.
He said that the suspects were arrested with one locally made revolver and two locally made single barrel gun.
Kimo said that the suspects were members of a notorious syndicate of kidnappers and cattle rustlers who specialised in laying siege at Fulani settlements to take their victims.
He added that the suspects were intercepted and arrested at Wumi while trying to escape after kidnapping one of their female victims who was rescued by the police.
“The suspects have been transferred to the command special anti-kidnapping squad for further investigation,” he said.
Other suspects arrested according to the commissioner included eight members of a cult.
The suspects are: Emeka Ani, Felix Oje, Promise Ezubuike, Efiong Chidi, Paul Chinedu, David Elkana,Ikechukwu Okoro and Osinachi Anyanwu.
He said the suspects were arrested on March 23 by the police attached to Karimo division, after a tip-off from members of Angwan Shehu village in Karmo, Abuja.
Kimo said the suspects had been terrorising and robbing the residents of the village.
He said that items recovered from them include one pick axe and a beret.
He said the suspects had been transferred to the command’s Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID) for discreet investigation and prosecution.
The commissioner said that the achievements were a result of hard work and dedication of the command to fulfill its constitutional mandate.
He commended the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, for his unflinching support to the command.
