A coordinated response from the Federal Capital Territory Police Command and other security agencies resulted in the killing of two armed robbers in Abaji area on Thursday.
The gang had targeted a local bank, leading to a violent confrontation.
During the ensuing gun duel, a police officer sustained a gunshot wound, and a bank security guard was also injured.
Additionally, irate residents apprehended and set ablaze one of the robbers who was unable to escape.
The incident began around 5 p.m. when the robbers, arriving in two unmarked vehicles, launched a surprise attack on the police station along Toto Road.
In the initial assault, Inspector Habila was shot in the chest and killed. Following this, part of the gang advanced to the bank, firing indiscriminately.
Despite their efforts, the robbers were unable to breach the bank’s strong room and instead fled with cash from the counters.
In their rampage, they shot a security guard attempting to hide.
Swift action from a combined force of police officers, soldiers, vigilantes, and local hunters led to a fierce gun battle at the bank.
This confrontation resulted in the deaths of two robbers. One wounded robber, unable to flee, was captured by enraged locals and set on fire.
Witnesses reported that the robbers emerged from their vehicles and began firing randomly into the police station, initiating the chaotic and deadly sequence of events.
According to the police officer, the robbers, who alighted from two unmarked vehicles, started firing sporadically into the police station.
“It is God who saved me because when the robbers alighted from the vehicles, they started shooting into the police station.
“While I managed to escape, an Inspector who had earlier escaped later turned back because they had shot him in the chest,” he said.
Reports indicated that some members of the gang proceeded to the First Bank branch near the roundabout, where they began shooting indiscriminately.
A bank staff member, speaking anonymously, disclosed that the robbers failed to access the strong room where most of the money was kept but managed to steal cash from the counters. The robbers first shot a guard who had sought refuge in the security house’s toilet before entering the bank.
FCT Police Commissioner CP Benneth Igweh, who later arrived at the scene with other officers, confirmed that two robbers were shot dead in the exchange of gunfire with security operatives.
CP Igweh expressed condolences to the family of the deceased Police Inspector and stated that the Police Anti-Robbery Squad and hunters had been deployed to the bush to track down the fleeing robbers. He also commended the combined security team’s efforts in thwarting the robbery attempt.
