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From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command on Tuesday paraded a notorious female criminal alleged to be the leader of a kidnapping gang terrorising residents of the FCT.
The suspect, Ifeoma Nnamchi, 35, was arrested alongside two of her children, Gabriel Nnamchi, 14, and Stanley Nnamchi, 17, who are also alleged members of the kidnapping syndicate.
Also arrested were her lover, Peter Rasheed Onwunumah, 40, Olanipekun Anuoluwa, 46, and Jemimah Monday, 25.
The suspects were arrested after allegedly kidnapping a young woman in the Maitama area of the FCT and demanding a ransom of N20 million from her family.
Parading the suspects before journalists at the command headquarters in Abuja, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, said the gang held the victim in a remote location in Niger State for five days.
He said that during her captivity, the gang demanded a whopping N20 million ransom from her family, which eventually paid N8.25 million before she was released.
Sanusi said that upon receiving the report of the abduction, police operatives immediately launched an investigation, tracking the victim’s telephone, which the kidnappers used to communicate with her family. The operation led detectives to Kwan-Kwashe Village, a remote settlement in Niger State, where the suspects were arrested. He added that the gang had already packed their belongings and was preparing to flee before the police swooped on them.
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Explaining how the suspects were arrested, the commissioner said:
“The suspected kidnappers subsequently contacted the victim’s family and demanded a ransom of N20,000,000 for her release. Unknown to the suspects, we were already hot on their trail.
“Our digital tracking revealed that they had taken the victim out of the FCT and kept her in Kwan-Kwashe Village, a remote settlement in Niger State. The suspects eventually collected a ransom of N8,250,000 from the victim’s family before releasing her on July 3, 2026.”
He added that the police sustained the manhunt until July 5, 2026, when operatives arrested six members of the syndicate in the Suleja area of Niger State, including the two children of the gang leader.
According to him, items recovered from the suspects included the N8.25 million ransom collected from the victim’s family, two operational vehicles—a Toyota Corolla with registration number SMK 559 FV and a Toyota Camry with registration number YAB 712 NH—one sharp cutlass, seven AirPods, several pieces of jewellery suspected to belong to previous victims, five mobile phones and one laptop.
The commissioner disclosed that investigations revealed that the gang leader, Ifeoma Nnamchi, and another suspect, Olanipekun Anuoluwa, are repeat offenders who had previously been arrested by the FCT Police Command in 2022 and 2019 respectively for similar offences.
“Despite their previous arrests, both suspects returned to crime and formed this syndicate, which has been operating along the Kubwa Expressway, Maitama Federal Housing Road and other parts of the FCT since 2024,” he said.
Sanusi further revealed that members of the syndicate confessed to carrying out several “one chance” operations, although they could not accurately recall the total number.
He said that in their most recent operations, the gang successfully kidnapped and robbed five female victims, extorting ransoms amounting to N12.8 million.
The commissioner said the suspects and all recovered exhibits remain in police custody and would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
Highlighting other achievements recorded by the command, Sanusi said that police operatives had also arrested four other suspects for offences relating to kidnapping, the supply of ammunition and possession of illicit substances as part of ongoing efforts to rid the FCT and neighbouring border communities of violent criminals.
