June 14, 2024

Two persons  have been killed in a gun battle as the Nigerian Police and the Military foiled a planned 15-man bank robbery operation at the First Bank PLC in Abaji, Abuja on Thursday.

In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, FCT, Abuja, SP Josephine Adeh, on Friday, said the Police received a distress call at about 5:00 pm and led by the Commissioner of Police, CP Benneth Igweh, in a combined operation with the military, mobilised to the scene.

The attack simultaneously carried out on both Abaji Divisional Police headquarters, and the bank by the armed men, who attacked with dynamites in an attempt to rob the bank was repelled.

“The security forces engaged the armed robbers in an intense gun duel, forcing them to scamper to safety with various degrees of bullet wounds.

“The gun duel led to the apprehension of three suspects, namely, Usman (surname yet unknown), who was reported to be the gang leader, Nuhu Musa, 41; and Muhammed Aminu, 25, with grave degrees of bullet injuries.

“While a search operation is ongoing to apprehend fleeing suspects with bullet injuries, CP Igweh lauded the effectiveness of the combined operation, and reaffirmed 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.

A yet-to-be-identified suspect was said to have been set ablaze by an irate mob at the scene, after being neutralised by the security forces.

One of the police operatives and the gang leader hit by bullets during the gun duel, were rushed to the hospital.

They were later confirmed dead by the doctor on duty, while others are still receiving treatment.