A daring mission by suspected bandits to abduct family members of the incumbent chairman of Bwari area council, John Gabaya, has been foiled.
The abduction was thwarted by the police in the Federal Capital Territory who fended off the assailants in an intense gun battle.
However, a police officer lost his life during the shootout when the bandits invaded invaded Gabwa’s residence at his Tokulo community in the area council, on Sunday.
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An aide to the council chairman, who confirmed the incident to newsmen, said the rampaging armed hoodlums stormed the community at about 11:33 pm, on Sunday.
He disclosed that the bandits invaded Tokulo community via Kaduna forest armed with AK-47 rifles and engaged the vigilantes guarding the chairman’s private residence in a fierce gun battle.
He said during the gunfire exchange, the police team from Bwari division was alerted about the security breach and they arrived the community immediately.
According to him, one of the police officers was killed during cross fire, but the police officers repelled the attack.
He said the attack on the family of the council chairman by bandits was the third time between February 2021 and April, 6, 2024.
“And if you can recall, the bandits attacked the chairman’s community on February,2 2021, after which they returned again, on February, this year and launched another attack but were resisted through efforts of the security operatives, while on Sunday, April, this year, the bandits struck again and were repelled again,” Daily Trust quoted him as saying.
FCT police command spokesperson, SP Adeh Josephine, confirmed the latest attack on Tokulo community.
She said some assailants stormed Tokulo village in the early hours of Sunday, in an attempt to whisk away the family of the council chairman of Bwari area council.
“But unfortunately, the police team came on time to engage the kidnappers in a bloody gun duel and foiled the abduction, in which one of the policemen was killed during the exchange of gun shot,” she said.
According to her, one of the kidnappers too was shot dead during the crossfire with the police, saying the council chairman’s family were later evacuated into the police vehicle from the community to an unknown location.
