Nasarawa police rescue kidnap victim, arrest 11 suspected armed robbers

The Nasarawa State Police Command has rescued a kidnapped woman and arrested 11 suspected armed robbers in separate operations across the state.

The command also recovered a locally fabricated revolver, cutlasses, knives, SIM cards, suspected counterfeit foreign currencies and other items believed to be connected to criminal activities.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, disclosed this in a statement issued on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Shetima Jauro Mohammed, on Friday.

According to the statement, one Favour Innocent, a resident of Ajyga Village, was abducted from her residence at about 9:00 p.m. on August 3, 2026.

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She was rescued the following morning at about 8:00 a.m. in the Nunku Forest area of Akwanga Local Government Area following a joint operation involving the police, local hunters and community youths.

The victim was subsequently taken to the Primary Health Centre, Andaha, where she received medical attention and was discharged in stable condition before being reunited with her family.

The police said efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing kidnappers.

In a separate operation, police operatives arrested 11 suspects following an armed robbery at a guest house in Area One, Masaka, in the early hours of Friday.

The command said it received information at about 2:00 a.m. that armed robbers had invaded the guest house and dispossessed lodgers of valuables, including cash and mobile phones.

Following the report, the Commissioner of Police ordered the immediate deployment of a patrol team to the area.

According to the police, the suspects fled after sighting the patrol vehicle but were pursued to their hideout, where nine adults and two minors were arrested.

The adult suspects were identified as Auwal Yunusa, 20; Saltsu Kabiru, 20; Umar Saleh, 22; Abubakar Hassan, 26; Musa Yahaya, 20; Seth Aaron, 20; Victor Hyelanpali, 19; Gift Ezra, 20; and Suleiman Abdullahi, 18.

The two minors were identified as James Ayuba, 16, and Fahad Abubakar, 15.

Items recovered during the operation included one locally fabricated revolver, four cutlasses, one fabricated cutlass, two knives, two bedsheets, eight SIM cards, three head warmer caps and two pairs of scissors.

The police also recovered suspected counterfeit foreign currencies and original documents belonging to a man identified as Kabiru Abubakar.

The command said efforts were being intensified to arrest other suspects who escaped during the operation and recover additional stolen property.

The Commissioner of Police directed the Divisional Police Officer of Masaka Division to trace the parents or guardians of the two minors and, where necessary, ensure that they are brought before the appropriate Juvenile Court in accordance with the law.

He also ordered the immediate transfer of the nine adult suspects to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia for further investigation and prosecution.

Commending the officers and community members involved in the operations, CP Shetima praised the police personnel, local hunters and youths for their cooperation, particularly their role in securing the safe rescue of the kidnap victim.

The Commissioner reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and stronger cooperation with communities across Nasarawa State.

He urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information to the police, saying public cooperation remained essential to preventing crime, rescuing victims and apprehending suspected criminals.

The command said it would sustain operations aimed at tackling kidnapping, armed robbery and other criminal activities across the state.

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