The Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory, Ahmed Mohammed Sanusi, on Wednesday announced that two members of a notorious gang responsible for terrorising residents of Abuja were killed during a security operation.
Addressing journalists at the FCT Police Command headquarters, Sanusi said he personally led the operation that resulted in the deaths of the suspects.
The operation followed the abduction of five residents of Paze community in the Byazhin Ward of Bwari Area Council last week.
The bandits had kidnapped five people, including a pastor, during an attack on the community on Thursday. A local vigilante member, identified as Shuaibu Yerima, was also shot dead during the invasion.
According to the police commissioner, all five victims were rescued during a joint operation involving operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the Kubwa Area Command, local hunters, and vigilante groups.
The operation also led to the arrest of two suspects identified as Icheh Mohammadu and Abubakar Usman, while other members of the gang reportedly escaped into nearby hills.
“And during the operation, the police team also recovered two AK-47 rifles with magazines, while two of the gang members were arrested during the crossfire,” he said.
Sanusi explained that at about 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, he led the joint security team in an intensive search, clearance, and rescue mission across the Paze and Byazhin communities.
He added that the five rescued victims had been taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, while efforts were underway to reunite them with their families.
