A Police Inspector and two armed robbers were killed on Thursday in a violent bank robbery in Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. According to a police officer, a group of robbers invaded a bank in Abaji town around 5:30 PM. The officer reported that the robbers initially targeted a police station on Toto Road, where a Police Inspector, identified only as Abila, was fatally shot. The robbers, arriving in two unmarked vehicles, began firing indiscriminately into the police station.
Following the arrival of the robbers in vehicles, they immediately opened fire at the police station. One officer attributed his survival to God’s divine intervention, mentioning that he managed to escape while another Inspector, who initially fled, returned after being shot in the chest.
Subsequently, some of the gang members proceeded to the nearby First Bank branch and began shooting indiscriminately. A bank employee who wished to remain anonymous disclosed that despite failing to access the bank’s strong room, the robbers did manage to steal cash from the counter after shooting a security guard who had taken refuge in the bank’s restroom.
According to reports, a combined team of police, soldiers, vigilantes, and hunters quickly responded to the scene. They engaged the robbers in a fierce gun battle, resulting in the deaths of two of the criminals. Later, an angry mob seized one of the bodies and set it on fire in retaliation.
Later, the FCT Police Commissioner, CP Benneth Igweh, arrived at the scene accompanied by police officers and confirmed that two robbers were killed in a shootout with security forces. CP Igweh expressed condolences to the family of the deceased Police Inspector and mentioned that Police Anti-Robbery Squad and hunters had been dispatched into the bush to track down the escaping robbers. He also praised the collaborative efforts of the security team for thwarting the attack.
