The police in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, have urged residents to remain security-conscious and promptly report suspicious persons, movements and activities. This follows the arrest of suspected armed robbers and members of a one-chance syndicate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Addressing journalists at the FCT Police Command Headquarters on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, said the Command had continued to intensify covert and overt anti-crime operations across the territory.
“Security is a collective responsibility. We will continue to do our part, but we also need your cooperation and support to keep the FCT safe,” Sanusi said.
One of the cases involved a suspected one-chance syndicate whose members allegedly robbed a woman of her mobile phone and used electronic transactions to transfer money from her bank account, according to the police.
“On the 7th of August 2026, at about 5:00 PM, the FCT Police Command received a distress call reporting that on the same day, a lady (later identified to be the wife of a police officer) boarded a taxi (along) from AYA Roundabout.”
In Abuja, “one-chance” robbery commonly refers to crimes in which passengers are robbed by people operating in vehicles presented as commercial transport. In this case, police said investigators used digital evidence to trace electronic transactions and the victim’s mobile phone.
Reporting such incidents helps the police
“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 (8) suspects.” CP Sanusi said
IMEI Alteration and Resale of Stolen Phones
Sanusi said further investigations led to the recovery of 21 mobile phones and three laptops, including the victim’s phone.
He also alleged that one suspect specialised in electronically altering the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers of stolen phones before reselling them to avoid detection.
An IMEI is a number used to identify a mobile device. Although it can be compared loosely to a vehicle’s chassis number, the two serve different technical purposes. Altering an IMEI may complicate efforts to identify a stolen phone, but it does not necessarily make the device impossible to trace.
The commissioner also said investigators had tracked and identified people suspected of receiving stolen property.
More Arrests in Separate Armed Robbery Cases
In a separate operation, police arrested two suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate. Sanusi said they were arrested on September 17, 2026, at about 2 p.m. along the AYA–Nyanya Expressway.
According to the police, the syndicate operated in Abuja and parts of Nasarawa, Niger and Kogi states, and the suspects were arrested after a robbery while attempting to leave the FCT for Nasarawa State.
“They were arrested along the AYA–Nyanya Expressway,” the police commissioner said
Items recovered included “three locally made pistols, three live cartridges, four knives, 17 mobile phones, two cutlasses and a point-of-sale (POS) machine.”
In another case, police arrested a suspect following a complaint of armed robbery reported at Jabi Police Division on October 18. The alleged robbery took place on September 26, when a woman returning home from work was reportedly attacked by a masked assailant armed with a knife.
Police said the suspect allegedly assaulted the woman and stole her handbag, which contained an iPhone and other valuables. The suspect was also accused of withdrawing money from her bank accounts while in possession of her phone and ATM card.
A surveillance team from Jabi Police Division later arrested the suspect at his residence in Daki-Biyu, Jabi. Items recovered during a search included a sharp knife, a sharp iron, a power bank, and a voter’s card.
Police Urge Residents to Remain Vigilant
Sanusi urged residents to cooperate with the police and other law enforcement agencies and promptly report suspicious persons, movements and activities to the nearest police station or through the Command’s emergency contact lines.
He reiterated that maintaining security in the FCT requires cooperation between law enforcement agencies and residents.