In response to the rising cases of abductions in the federal capital, the FCT police have confirmed the arrest of Chinaza Phillip, a suspected notorious kidnapper operating in Abuja and other parts of the nation.

The FCT police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, on Friday, said Mr Philip was apprehended by officers of the Kaduna State Police Command on Thursday and handed over to FCT police on Friday. 

Ms Adeh said no fewer than three guns, a detachable battery-operated cell phone and a Visa bank card were retrieved from the suspect.

“More details will be communicated soon,” Ms Adeh said in the brief statement.

The arrest comes in light of exacerbated kidnappings in the federal capital, particularly after six siblings got abducted in the Bwari Area Council by bandits who demanded a N60 million ransom.  Upon the father’s failure to pay the full amount, the eldest daughter, Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, was murdered, and her corpse was sent to a location for her parents to pick up.

FCT minister Nyesom Wike and Defence Minister Abubakar Badaru have attributed the rise in abductions in Abuja to the domino effect of military operations in the North East, which they said have flushed out bandits from the region.

The bandits, who can no longer withstand the military incursion in Niger and Kano states, fled to Abuja suburbs which share boundaries with the two states and are now wreaking havoc on residents, the ministers said in separate addresses to journalists on Wednesday.

Mr Philip’s arrest appears to be the outcome of joint security efforts in waging war against kidnappers and banditry in the region.