Edith CHUKU
14-year-old Gabriel Nnamchi was among the six persons arrested on Monday, for allegedly kidnapping a female victim and collecting the sum of 8.25 million naira ransom from the family.
Nnamchi was arrested alongside his 17-year-old brother, Stanley Nnamchi. Others arrested were 25 years old Jemimah Monday, 46 years old Peter Rasheed Onwunumah and 35-year-old Ifeoma Nnamchi, believed to be the leader of the gang.
The suspects were said to have initially demanded N20 million but later accepted N8.25 million before releasing the victim on July 3.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner of Police, FCT command, Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, during a press briefing on Tuesday.
The CP revealed that “operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police command have arrested six suspected members of a kidnapping and “one chance” armed robbery syndicate and recovered N8.25 million allegedly paid as ransom for the release of a female victim abducted in Abuja.
“The operation was carried out by detectives attached to the command’s violent crime response unit (VCRU) following a distress report received on June 29, 2026, that a young woman had been abducted in the Maitama area of the FCT.
“The kidnappers initially demanded N20 million but later accepted N8.25 million before releasing the victim on July 3.
“Investigations and digital tracking reportedly traced the victim’s captivity to Kwan-Kwashe Village in neighbouring Niger State.
“Operatives sustained surveillance after the victim regained freedom, leading to the arrest of six suspects on July 5 in Suleja, Niger State.”
According to him, items recovered during the operation included “the N8.25 million ransom, two vehicles; a Toyota Corolla and a Toyota Camry, a cutlass, seven pairs of AirPods, assorted jewellery suspected to have been stolen from previous victims, five mobile phones and a laptop.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspected gang leader, Ifeoma Nnamchi, and Olanipekun Anuoluwa had previously been arrested by the FCT Police command in 2022 and 2019, respectively, over similar offences.”
