By Society Assistant Editor
Ninolowo Gbamboye
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has successfully rescued a kidnap victim after engaging in a 30-minute gun duel with armed kidnappers in the Guzape area of Abuja.
Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, confirmed the development during a press briefing on Friday, noting that the rescue was part of a series of coordinated operations conducted between September 15 and 18.
According to him, the encounter was a life-threatening battle, with police operatives exchanging heavy gunfire before overpowering the hoodlums. Sadly, two vigilante members sustained injuries during the September 15 operation, with one later passing away at the National Hospital, Abuja.
The police chief further disclosed that the attackers had attempted to abduct two young women but were stopped in their tracks through swift intervention. Subsequent raids, supported by the Nigerian Army Guards Brigade, DSS operatives, local hunters, and vigilantes, led to the dismantling of the gang’s hideout in Zinda Forest, Kurudu, on September 18. Three notorious kidnappers, including their leader—responsible for multiple abductions across Karu, Guzape, Kurudu, and parts of Nasarawa State—were neutralized.
Recovered items included two AK-49 rifles, magazines with live ammunition, charms, mobile phones, ATM cards, and cash. The operation also foiled the gang’s planned attempt to kidnap a Federal Housing Estate resident in Karu.
In a related update, the CP announced that the command’s Anti-Narcotics Unit arrested 11 suspected drug dealers and seized 68 bags of cannabis and other illicit substances during raids across the FCT. He emphasized that the arrests were vital in cutting criminal supply chains and reducing drug-related crimes in Abuja communities.
