The Special Intervention Squad of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has successfully neutralized three dangerous bandits, including their infamous leader, Mai Gemu, known as Godara. The operation took place in the early hours of Friday, January 26, around 2 am, within a forest linking Abuja to Kaduna State.
Mai Gemu and his gang had been a source of terror in the FCT and neighboring states, engaging in a spree of kidnappings and criminal activities. The successful operation was part of the ongoing efforts to bolster security in the region, following the launch of the Special Intervention Squad under the command of Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, announced the accomplishment in Abuja on Friday while parading approximately 20 criminal suspects apprehended for various offenses nationwide. He stated, “The SIS, in the early hours of Friday, neutralizes one of the most wanted kidnap kingpins, Mai Gemu aka Godara, and two other members of his gang in an exchange of gunfire in the Bwari area of Abuja in a forest linking Abuja with Kaduna State.”
The FCT SIS Commander, Commissioner of Police Bennett Igwe, confirmed the success, emphasizing that the squad had taken control of a major route in Usafa, Bwari Area Council, frequently used by bandits to transport their victims to neighboring states like Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi.
This operation follows growing concerns about the surge in insecurity within the Federal Capital Territory, particularly the alarming increase in kidnappings. The FCT, once considered relatively immune, is now grappling with a rising wave of criminal activities. Notably, one of the recent incidents involved the abduction of 23 individuals, including members of the Al-Kadriyar and the Ariyo families on January 2, 2024, in the Bwari Area Council.