Police Smash Kidnap Ring in Ushafa, Rescue Seven After Fierce Gun Battle

The Abuja Police Command has dismantled a kidnapping syndicate operating in Ushafa, successfully rescuing seven victims after a coordinated operation involving multiple security agencies.

According to the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the operation was launched after a distress call was received on December 5, 2025, reporting that armed men had abducted residents from a community in Ushafa.

A joint team drawn from the FCT Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Nigerian Army, and the Department of State Services (DSS) began a full-scale search operation on December 6, tracking the suspects from the fringes of Mpape into surrounding settlements stretching towards Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The suspects reportedly opened fire when they sighted the operatives, leading to a gun battle during which one victim was rescued.

The security team sustained the pursuit for more than seven hours across difficult, mountainous terrain before locating the kidnappers’ camp in Kweri Forest, Kaduna State. A second exchange of gunfire forced the kidnappers to flee, allowing security agents to rescue six more victims.

All seven rescued persons were immediately taken to hospital, where they are currently receiving treatment and are said to be in stable condition.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Miller Dantawaye, praised the courage and professionalism of the operatives and ordered further deployment of personnel along identified flashpoints to prevent future incidents.

The police also appealed to hospitals and healthcare providers to report individuals presenting with suspicious injuries through the emergency lines: 08061581938 and 08032003913.