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Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ahmed Mohammed Sanusi has revealed that officers rescued five abducted residents of Paze community in Bwari council area of the FCT.
He said this happened after a shootout with bandits which resulted in two people suspected of being members of the gang being killed, while two others were arrested.
This was conveyed by Sanusi when talking to journalists, Wednesday.
The victims were abducted last Thursday when gunmen stormed Paze community in Byazhin ward.
In the attack, the assailants kidnapped five residents, including a priest, and killed Shuaibu Yerima, a member of the local vigilante.
Sanusi said police launched a coordinated rescue mission on Tuesday evening after intelligence was gathered on the whereabouts of the kidnappers.
According to him, the operation was carried out by personnel of the anti-kidnapping unit, the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigerian Police, and the Kubwa area command, in collaboration with local poachers and vigilante groups.
The police commissioner said he personally led a joint security team in an intensive search and rescue operation across Paze and the neighboring Byazhin community at around 9pm on Tuesday.
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He said security personnel engaged in a fierce firefight with the suspects, leading to the death of two gang members, while two others identified as Icheh Mohammadu and Abubakar Usman were arrested.
Sanusi added that several other suspects fled into the nearby hills and surrounding bushes during the confrontation.
“And during this operation, the police team also found two AK-47 weapons and their magazines, and two members of the gang were arrested during a shootout,” said Sanusi.
The commissioner said the five abducted victims were rescued unharmed and had been taken to a medical facility for examination and treatment before being reunited with their families.
He noted that security forces continue to conduct search operations across the region and surrounding communities to trace the fleeing suspects and dismantle the criminal network responsible for the attack.
Sanusi also appealed to the public, as well as government and private health service providers, to report anyone seeking treatment for a gunshot wound or suffering any suspicious injury.
He said the information could aid ongoing investigations and help security agencies catch suspects who escaped during the operation.
The police commissioner reiterated the command’s commitment to tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes in the FCT, and urged citizens to continue supporting security agencies with credible information.
