THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command said it foiled a robbery attempt by a 15-man gang at the Kapuwa area of Lugbe in the early hours of Friday.
Spokesperson of the Command, Josephine Adeh, in a statement released on Friday, said the police responded to a distress call when members of the gang were operating in the Lugbe area.
“Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command attached to the Lugbe Divisional Police Headquarters in the wee hours of today 8th July 2022, responded promptly to a distress call foiling an armed robbery attempt, recovered stolen items, and set criminal tail in between their legs (sic) with various degrees of gun wounds at Kapuwa, Lugbe area of the FCT.
“The above followed the receipt of a distress call at bout 0200 hours of today, at Lugbe Divisional Police Headquarters that a 15-man armed robbery gang was operating at a compound in Kapuwa,” the statement said.
Adeh said members of the robbery gang fled when the police arrived at the scene.
“Tactical and intelligence assets on duty drifted swiftly to the scene giving a hot chase to the criminals who had at that moment successfully gained access and removed personal effects from the said house and were on the run.”
According to the statement, stolen items were recovered from the armed robbers.
The recovered items include a Honda Accord with REG NO. BWR778BK, Peugeot 307 with REG NO. MKA496BC, five flat-screen television sets, eight pairs of shoes, different types and sizes of clothes including a uniform, one mini laptop, four ATM cards, one iPad, one playstation with two gaming pads and one Apple wrist watch.
The FCT police spokesperson added that operatives of the Command are on the trail of the fleeing gang members.
Adeh assured residents of a revamped security architecture while urging them to supply operatives with valuable information.
Security concerns have been heightened in the FCT recently, especially following an attack on the correctional facility in the Kuje area of the territory, which is about an hour away from Lugbe.
The attack, reportedly carried out by the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), resulted in the escape of about 800 inmates, including all suspected Boko Haram members detained at the facility.
The United States (US) government had warned of heightened insecurity challenges following the jailbreak, urging its citizens in Nigeria be security conscious and avoid unnecessary travel along the Airport Road in Abuja.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.