The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has narrated how its operatives alongside men of the Nigerian military foiled a deadly bank robbery in Abaji area of Abuja on Thursday.
A statement signed by FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the security forces engaged the armed robbers in an intense gun duel, resulting in fatalities.
The statement reads in full : “In swift response to an armed robbery incident at first bank PLC in Abaji on June 13, 2024, at about 5:00 PM, the FCT police, led by the commissioner of police, CP Benneth C. Igweh, psc, mni, himself, in a combined operation with the military, mobilized to scene and repelled the attack simultaneously carried out on both Abaji Divisional Police headquarters and first bank PLC in Abaji by a group of fifteen armed men who attacked with dynamites in attempt to rob the bank.
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.
One police operative and the gang leader hit by 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 search operation is ongoing to apprehend fleeing suspects with bullet injuries, the commissioner of police FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, psc, mni, 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.”