…arrest 40 suspects amidst controversy over excessive force

By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja

THE FCT Police Command has made a major breakthrough in their fight against crime, as they successfully arrested 40 suspected members of a notorious criminal syndicate in Gishiri village, Abuja.

The operation was carried out by the Mabushi Police Division, following extensive intelligence gathering and surveillance.

However, the arrest was not without controversy, as video footage emerged showing police officers using excessive force to suppress a revolt by some of the suspects.

Despite this, the Police Public Relations Officer of FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, in a statement on Monday, downplayed the allegations, emphasizing the importance of maintaining law and order in the fight against crime.

She said, “It is pertinent to state that contrary to the narrative in circulation, the suspects were not randomly arrested, but were arrested in an intelligence raid necessitated by complaints from three independent sources of jurisdiction over the Gishiri village.

“The complaint alleged some ex-convicts namely Awalu, Balo, and Baba Ali, to have masterminded and inflicted hardship, panic, and apprehension on residents through their criminal acts

“Consequent upon the above, and in ensuring that residents have a peaceful Easter celebration, the operatives of the Mabushi Divisional Police Headquarters having processed the intelligence swung into action at about 00:30 am to 02:30 am on the 9th of April 2023 and apprehended a total number of 40 suspects from carefully marked black spots.

“The suspects however didn’t fail to live up to their reputation as they were repulsive and violent all through the process of arrest and at the point of statement taking at the Division.

“The cut-to-suit narrative in the video in circulation was a scene of police officers trying to apply minimum force in restoring order to the distorted peace the arrest of the suspect brought to the Station.

“While the proportionality of the applied force is in question and has amounted to unprofessional conduct, the Officers involved have been duly noted for sanction, the Commissioner of Police FCT Police Command and the leaders of the Kishiri community have commended the Division and its leadership for promptly responding to public outcry and restoring order to the Community.”

Adeh added that the suspects raided were immediately screened and those with prima facie cases would be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigations.