By Crystal Ugoeze
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a notorious “one-chance” armed robbery syndicate linked to the murder of a legal practitioner, Barrister Chigbo Princess Nwamaka Mediatrix.
The suspects are Saifullahi Yusuf, 22, and his elder brother, Ishau Yusuf, 24, both from Kaduna State and residents of Dan-Tata community, Dei-Dei, Abuja, as well as Minka’ilu Jibril, also known as Dan-Hajia, also from Kaduna State.
Barrister Mediatrix was killed last week after boarding what police described as a “one-chance” vehicle along the Kubwa Expressway. Her body was later found by the roadside. While the police said she was attacked by armed robbers, her family has maintained that she was murdered by kidnappers.
FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said the arrests followed directives from the Commissioner of Police, CP Miller Dantawaye, to ensure those responsible for the killing were brought to justice.
According to her, operatives of the Command’s Scorpion Squad tracked the victim’s mobile phone using digital intelligence and conducted operations between January 5 and 10, 2026, across Dei-Dei, Dakwa, and Dan-Tata communities in Kubwa Area Council, leading to the suspects’ arrest.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects belong to a long-running “one-chance” robbery gang operating within the FCT, particularly during festive periods. On January 5, at about 5:50 p.m., the suspects allegedly picked up the victim in a black Volkswagen Golf 3 along the Kubwa Expressway, wound up the vehicle’s tinted windows, and threatened her with weapons while demanding money.
Police said the suspects admitted that when the victim resisted, she was assaulted and pushed out of the moving vehicle, leading to her death. Her Android phone was reportedly stolen and sold at Dei-Dei for ₦120,000, which the suspects shared among themselves, while another accomplice identified as Musa remains at large.
Items recovered from the suspects include scissors, dagger knives, kitchen knives, a long chain allegedly used to restrain victims, and a pair of pliers.
The police said investigations are ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspect and dismantle the entire criminal network. CP Dantawaye commended the operatives involved and urged residents to remain vigilant, avoid unregistered or suspicious vehicles, and report suspicious activities through the Command’s emergency lines.