Police Foil Kidnap Of FCT Council Chair’s Family As Officer Shot Dead

A police officer whose identity is yet to be ascertained has been reportedly shot dead by bandits in Abuja.

The office was killed when police foiled the abduction of family members of the incumbent chairman of Bwari area council, John Gabaya.

The incident happened on Sunday.

An aide to the council chairman said the armed gang came to the community at about 11:33 p.m. on Sunday.

He said the bandits who invaded Tokulo community through Kaduna forest wielded AK-47 rifles and engaged the vigilantes guarding the chairman’s private residence in a fierce gun battle.

“During the gunfire exchange, the police team from Bwari division was alerted and they stormed the community immediately.”

One of the police officers was killed during the crossfire, but the police officers repelled the attack, according to him.

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, in February, this year and launched another attack but were resisted through the efforts of the security operatives, while on Sunday, April 2, this year, the bandits struck again and were repelled again,” he said.

Confirming the incident, FCT police command spokesperson, SP Adeh Josephine, said some unknown hoodlums, armed with other offensive weapons, stormed Tokulo village in the early hours of Sunday, in an attempt to kidnap the family of the council chairman of the 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 gunshots,” 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 was later evacuated into the police vehicle from the community to an unknown location.