The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command said on Sunday that it has arrested three notorious armed robbery suspects involved in “one-chance” criminal operations and the gruesome murder of a legal practitioner, Barrister Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo.
The younger sister of former President of the Guild of Corporate Online Editors (GOCOP), Ms. Maureen Chigbo, Nwamaka was kidnapped and killed in the FCT on Monday.
According to a statement on Sunday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Josephine Adeh, the arrest followed ‘clear directives’ by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye ‘to ensure that all perpetrators connected to the heinous murder of the victim and other similar crimes within the FCT are swiftly identified and brought to justice’.
According to the statement, between 5 and 10 January, operatives of the command’s Scorpion Squad, led by Assistant Commissioner Victor Godfrey, ‘acting on reconstructive digital intelligence, tracked the victim’s mobile phone and conducted follow up operations at Dei-Dei, Dakwa, and Dan-Tata communities within Kubwa Area of the FCT’.
The statement added: ‘These intelligence-led operations led to the arrest of the following suspects:
1. Saifullahi Yusuf (Male, 22 years) — from Kaduna State, resident at Dan-Tata Community, Dei-Dei, Abuja.
2. Ishau Yusuf (Male, 24 years) — from Kaduna State, resident at Dan-Tata Community, Dei-Dei, Abuja.
3. Minka’ilu Jibril, also known as Dan-Hajia — from Kaduna State.
‘It is pertinent to note that the first and second suspects are biological brothers.
‘Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects are members of a notorious “one-chance” armed robbery syndicate that has been operating on and off within the FCT for several years, particularly during festive periods.
‘Further investigations revealed that on 5 January, 2026, at about 5:50 p.m., Barrister Princess Chigbo unknowingly boarded their black Volkswagen Golf 3 vehicle along the Kubwa Expressway, unaware that the occupants were criminals. Upon entry into the vehicle, the suspects wound up the tinted windows and threatened the victim with weapons in an attempt to force her to pay ransom for her own release. When she allegedly refused to cooperate, she was physically assaulted and pushed out of the moving vehicle along the Kubwa Expressway, resulting in her death.
‘The suspects further admitted to dispossessing the victim of her Android mobile phone, which was later sold at Dei-Dei for the sum of N120,000. From which:
- Minka’ilu Jibril received N30,000
- Saifullahi Yusuf received N15,000
- Ishau Yusuf and another suspect currently at large, Musa, shared the remaining amount.
‘During the arrest, the following exhibits were recovered from the suspects:
- Five (5) scissors
- Two (2) sharp dagger knives
- Two (2) knives
- One (1) long chain used for restraining victims
- One (1) plier
‘These items are believed to have been used in the commission of their criminal activities.
‘Investigation is ongoing, and intensive efforts are in top gear to apprehend the remaining suspect currently at large, as well as to uncover any additional criminal networks linked to the syndicate’.
Adeh said that the FCT Police Commissioner commended the professionalism and dedication of the operatives involved and reassures residents that the command remained resolute in its commitment to rid the territory of criminal elements.
‘Members of the public are once again advised to remain vigilant, avoid boarding unregistered or suspicious vehicles, and promptly report any suspicious activities through the Commands emergency numbers: 08032003913, 07057337653’, the statement further read.
