It took a distress call from a concerned Nigerian to the police and in a matter of minutes, the gang of robbers operating at First Bank, Mpape, a growing suburb of Abuja was overawed. The Federal Capital Territory police  on Saturday confirmed that it has killed one person and arrested four suspects in a foiled bank robbery.

When the robbers arrived at the bank, they shot sporadically to scare people away and proceeded to break into the bank. The gunshots attracted attention of the neighbourhood and pronto, social media was awash with story of ongoing robbery at the bank.

A witness told Political Economist reporter that the robbers were mostly young men and that they had very strong fire power which showed in the staccato sounds of their gunshots.

“We were scared. Nobody stayed anywhere near. It was scary but the soldiers and police soon arrived and engaged them in gun battle”, recalls Emeka Okwuonu, who said he was visiting a friend in Mpape.

A statement by ASP Mariam Yusuf, the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer of the command, said the suspects were arrested while trying to escape.

She said the prompt response to a distress call by operatives of the command foiled the attempted robbery of a First Bank branch in the area.

“Police operatives were immediately deployed to the scene and engaged in cross fire with the robbers thereby foiling the attack on the bank.

“The operation, with the backup of soldiers, led to the arrest of four suspects and killing of one person while trying to escape,” she said.

Yusuf said the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Command, Mr Bala Ciroma had ordered discreet investigation into the incident.

She called on FCT residents to remain calm, as normalcy had been restored and pledged the commitment of the police to nip crime in the bud and ensure safety in the territory.

Yusuf urged the public to call on the police through this phone numbers 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653 or 08028940883 in case of emergency.