Police operatives from the Federal Capital Territory Police Command and their military counterparts thwarted an attack on a First Bank Plc branch and a police divisional headquarters in Abaji Area Council.
The armed robbers allegedly attacked both the bank and the police divisional headquarters on Thursday.
The 15 armed robbers allegedly used dynamite to attack their targets.
However, security personnel deployed to the location engaged the culprits in a ferocious gunfight, killing three of the armed robbers.
According to a statement on Friday by the FCT command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, some of the robbers fled the scene with injuries, while three were arrested.
She mentioned those arrested as Usman (surname yet unknown), Nuhu Musa, and Muhammed Aminu.
Adeh noted that a yet-to-be-identified suspect was set on fire by a mob at the spot after being neutralised by security forces.
“The security forces engaged the armed robbers in an intense gun duel, forcing them to scamper to safety with various degrees of bullet wounds, as the security forces succeeded in apprehending three suspects, namely, Usman (surname yet unknown), who was reported to be the gang leader; Nuhu Musa, 41’m’ of Kogi State; and Muhammed Aminu, 25’m’ of Abaji, with grave degrees of bullet injuries, while a yet-to-be-identified suspect was set ablaze by an irate mob at the scene after being neutralised by the security forces.”
She added that a police officer who was hit by a bullet during the operation was confirmed dead at the hospital where he was rushed.
Adeh said, “One police operative and the gang leader hit by a bullet during the gun duel were rushed to the hospital, and the doctor on duty confirmed them dead, while others are still receiving treatment.
“While a search operation is ongoing to apprehend fleeing suspects with bullet injuries, the commissioner of police FCT lauds the effectiveness of the combined operation and reaffirms the command’s unflinching commitment to ensuring that FCT remains inhabitable for criminals, noting that the safety of the residents of FCT is non-negotiable.”
