By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a notorious “one-chance” armed robbery syndicate in connection with the murder of an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Barrister Princess Chigbo Nwamaka Mediatrix. Two of the suspects are blood brother.

The arrests followed directives by the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Miller Dantawaye, who ordered that “all perpetrators connected to the heinous murder of the victim and similar crimes within the FCT must be identified and brought to justice,” according to a statement issued on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh.

Police said operatives of the Command’s Scorpion Squad, led by ACP Victor Ogbeide Godfrey, tracked the suspects through reconstructive digital intelligence between January 5 and January 10, 2026, after tracing the victim’s mobile phone. The intelligence-led operation resulted in arrests in Dei-Dei, Dakwa and Dan-Tata communities within Kubwa Area of the FCT.

The suspects were identified as Saifullahi Yusuf, 22; Ishau Yusuf, 24; and Minka’ilu Jibril, also known as Dan-Hajia. The police disclosed that Saifullahi and Ishau Yusuf are biological brothers, while all three suspects are indigenes of Kaduna State.

According to the police, preliminary investigations showed that the suspects are members of a long-standing “one-chance” armed robbery syndicate that has operated intermittently within the FCT, particularly during festive periods.

Detailing the incident, the police said the victim was attacked on January 5, 2026, at about 5:50 p.m., after unknowingly boarding a black Volkswagen Golf 3 vehicle along the Kubwa Expressway.

“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 release,” the statement said.

Police further alleged that when the victim resisted, “she was physically assaulted and pushed out of the moving vehicle along the Kubwa Expressway,” an act that resulted in her death.

Investigators said the suspects admitted to dispossessing the victim of her Android mobile phone, which was later sold in Dei-Dei for ₦120,000. “Minka’ilu Jibril received ₦30,000, Saifullahi Yusuf received ₦15,000, while Ishau Yusuf and another suspect currently at large, identified as Musa, shared the remaining amount,” the police said.

During the arrest, officers recovered five scissors, two sharp dagger knives, two knives, a long chain allegedly used to restrain victims, and a plier, which police said were believed to have been used in committing the crimes.

The Command said investigations were ongoing, adding that “intensive efforts are in top gear to apprehend the remaining suspect currently at large and dismantle any other criminal networks linked to the syndicate.”

Commending the operatives involved, CP Dantawaye assured residents that the FCT Police Command “remains resolute in its commitment to rid the Territory of criminal elements.”

He urged members of the public to remain vigilant, avoid boarding unregistered or suspicious vehicles, and promptly report suspicious activities through the Command’s emergency numbers: 08032003913 and 07057337653.