The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigeria Police Force has apprehended 23 individuals alleged to be involved in a car-snatching and armed robbery syndicate operating within Abuja and neighboring states.
Authorities also recovered 13 stolen vehicles, which had been rebranded and prepared for sale through a network of receivers.
During a press briefing in Abuja, FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, emphasized the command’s commitment to enhancing security and safeguarding the lives and properties of Abuja residents.
He noted that the arrests were part of a coordinated effort to dismantle car theft networks that posed significant threats within the capital city.
Among those paraded were suspects linked to a notorious four-man gang known for trailing and robbing unsuspecting drivers across FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Kano States.
According to Disu, the suspects, identified as Aji Thomas, 32, from Borno State; Amobi Ndukwu, 40, from Enugu State; and Amachi Sampson, 26, from Imo State, worked under a gang leader known only as Chiderbere, who remains at large.
“Their mode of operation includes trailing unsuspecting victims to convenient locations where they strike, dispossessing their victims of vehicles and valuables,” CP Disu explained.
“After seizing a vehicle, they disable any tracking devices and transfer it to states with waiting buyers. Thomas and Ndukwe are ex-convicts who were on the command’s watchlist. Despite previous arrests, they rejoined their gang to resume operations.”
The suspects were apprehended while attempting to sell a stolen blue Toyota Corolla, registered KTW 2155D, to an undercover officer. Interrogations revealed they had been active in the Garki area of Abuja for over a year, with numerous car thefts attributed to their activities.
In a related development, another suspect, Joseph Abang, was arrested in possession of a stolen Honda Accord, which he had obtained through an accomplice, Abdulhamid Saidu, a mechanic from Apo Mechanic Village.
The police tracked the vehicle to Rayfield, Jos, Plateau State, where Abang admitted he specialized in “receiving, rebranding, and selling off stolen vehicles.”
Abang was further found with a Hyundai Accent and a Peugeot 208 suspected to have been stolen and were being rebranded for resale.
