Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has rescued five abducted residents and neutralised two suspected bandits during a coordinated security operation in Abuja’s Bwari Area Council.
Gatekeepers News reports that the operation followed the abduction of five residents from the Paze community in Byazhin Ward last week.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Mohammed Sanusi, said he personally led the rescue mission alongside operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the Kubwa Area Command, local hunters, and vigilante groups. The operation was launched after security agencies received intelligence on the whereabouts of the kidnappers.
The victims, who included a pastor, were kidnapped during an attack on the community in which local vigilante member Shuaibu Yerima was shot dead while trying to resist the assailants. The gunmen reportedly stormed the area at night, creating panic among residents before whisking away their captives.
According to the police commissioner, security operatives tracked the suspects to their hideout, leading to a gun battle during which two of the bandits were killed. The remaining members of the gang fled into nearby forests with varying degrees of injuries, while the kidnapped victims were rescued unharmed.
Sanusi assured residents that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects and dismantle criminal networks operating within and around the Federal Capital Territory. He also urged members of the public to continue providing timely information to security agencies to aid ongoing operations.
