The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has intensified its crackdown on banditry and kidnapping in Abuja, combining the demolition of structures used by criminals to hold their victims with a rescue operation that freed an abducted woman. The command says its recent successes reflect the cooperation of residents whose timely intelligence has contributed significantly to the operations across the territory.
The most visible part of the crackdown was a demolition exercise carried out in a community on the outskirts of the Biazin area of Kubwa. According to the police, the location was used by suspected bandits and kidnappers to forcefully detain people they had seized, and personnel led by the Commissioner of Police stormed the area to bring the structures down.
The police explained that the demolition was based on the confessions of arrested suspects, who reportedly led officers to the spot and pointed out the houses and hideouts they had used. Officials said that, given those revelations, it was only right for the place to be pulled down, and they urged residents to keep reporting suspicious movements in their neighbourhoods, since criminals had infiltrated communities to gather intelligence and coordinate repeated attacks.
The action followed a series of recent anti-kidnapping and rescue operations led by the FCT Commissioner of Police on the 9th of June 2026 in the Pase and Biazze part of the territory. According to the police, a follow-up operation was then conducted on the 11th of June as the security forces pressed their advantage against the criminal groups.
That follow-up operation took place in Tunga village, where troops of the Nigerian Army's 17 Brigade, operating under Operation Fasan Yama, made contact with armed bandits who were holding a captive. During the encounter, the kidnappers shot the abducted woman, identified as Mrs. Amina Abubakar, before fleeing the scene under the pressure of the advancing soldiers, who then secured the area.
The troops immediately rescued her and administered emergency first aid. According to a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samayla Uba, Mrs. Abubakar had sustained gunshot injuries and was bleeding at the time of the rescue, but she has since been moved to receive proper medical attention as the security forces continue their operations in the area.
The rescue carries added weight because Mrs. Amina Abubakar is the widow of the late Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information. She had been abducted by bandits shortly before the retired senior officer died in captivity, a death that had sparked national outrage and renewed concern over insecurity across the country. The combination of the demolition and the rescue underlines the pressure the authorities say they are now putting on the kidnapping networks operating on the fringes of the capital.