Three persons, including a police officer, lost their lives in a shootout, after a combined operation of the Nigerian Police and the military, repelled a bank robbery operation at the First Bank Plc in the Abaji Local Government Area, Abuja on Thursday.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, on Friday, said” After receiving a distress call at about 5:00 PM, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police, led by the Commissioner, Benneth Igweh, in a combined operation with the military, mobilised to the scene, and repelled the attack simultaneously carried out on both Abaji Divisional Police headquarters, and the bank by the armed men, who attacked with dynamites.
The statement added that the security forces engaged the armed robbers in an intense gun duel, forcing the criminals to retreat.
Three suspects were however apprehended with grave degrees of bullet injuries.
Another suspect was reportedly set ablaze by an irate mob at the scene, after being neutralised by the security forces.
While a search operation is ongoing to apprehend fleeing suspects with bullet injuries, Igweh lauded the effectiveness of the combined operation, and reaffirmed the command’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that FCT remains inhabitable for criminals.