Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command have arrested three suspected bandits who planned to turn the Abuja-Lokoja highway into a den of kidnapping and banditry.
Reports say the police recorded casualty of some officers but recovered a rocked-propelled grenade (RPG), 13 magazines and other deadly weapons.
Narrating the incident, FCT Commissioner of Police, Sunday Babaji, said, “On May 12, 2022, at around 10:00 pm, in a streak of operations targeted at fishing out, sweeping, and dislodging bandits, kidnappers, and miscreants from their hideouts at the suburbs of the FCT, the Command’s anti-kidnapping unit in a concerted effort with the local hunters, Destiny hunters, and Vigilantes, stormed a kidnappers’ camp in Zago Forest, Niger State, bordering the FCT via Adagba Village, Abuja.
“The team dislodged the camp and rescued one Usman Isah, a 23-year-old male of Lapai village, Niger State, who had been in captivity for 20 days, and recovered three AK 47 riffles with breeches No. 5662, 088425-89, and NK 6172 with seven Magazines containing eighteen rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, and one GPMG with 101 MG rounds.
“Upon sighting the approach of the team, the miscreants engaged the team in a gun duel. Being overpowered, two suspected bandits namely Rabiu Umar (a.k.a Mallam) an 18-year-old male, and Abdulmuni Haruna (a.k.a Alibaba) a 20-year-old male, were arrested, while many others escaped the camp with bullet wounds.
“The team continued their onward crusade, combing the forests aggressively. On May 13, 2022, at about 8:00pm, the team stormed a bandit camp at Mayaki forest via Adagba Village, Yaba district in the Abaji Area Council of the FCT, overpowering the bandits with superior firepower, leading to the recovery of one AK49 rifle with breach no: 165151 with eight magazines and 12 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition and one locally made Pistol. The Operation recorded in total the arrest of three suspects, the rescue of one survivor, the recovery of one AK49 rifle, three AK47 rifles, thirteen Magazine, 30 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, one GPMG and 101 round of live MG ammunition.
“All suspects arrested in this streak of operations admitted to being bandits and kidnappers.
“RPG rifle is very dangerous. It has a fire rate of 4 to 6 rounds per minute at an arming range of five meters, a sighting range of 500 meters and a maximum range of 900 meters, at which point it self-destructs. This speed could cover about three football fields per second.
Babaji, who disclosed that the Command was constantly innovating new dynamics of security architecture, said efforts are ongoing to arrest fleeing suspects while the ones in custody would be charged to court.