Five persons abducted from their homes in the Byazhin area of the Federal Capital Territory, regained their freedom on Tuesday night, after a joint security team led by the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, raided suspected kidnappers’ hideouts in the area.
The operation, according to the FCT Police Command, resulted in the killing of two suspected kidnappers, the arrest of two others and the recovery of two AK-47 rifles and magazines.
FCT Police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, said the operation followed recent kidnapping incidents in Paze community of Byazhin.
She said the Commissioner of Police personally led operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, Kubwa Area Command, local hunters and vigilante groups on the operation.
According to Adeh, the joint security team launched “an intensive search, clearance, and rescue operation across Paze and Byazhin communities” at about 9 p.m. on June 9.
She said, “During the operation, the team engaged suspected kidnappers in a gun duel, resulting in the neutralization of two suspects and the arrest of two others identified as Icheh Mohammadu and Abubakar Usman, while other gang members fled into nearby hills with varying degrees of bullet wounds.”
Adeh added that two AK-47 rifles with magazines were recovered during the operation.
“The sustained pressure mounted on the criminal elements forced them to abandon five hostages, who were promptly rescued unharmed,” she stated.
The police spokesperson said the victims had been taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention, while efforts were ongoing to reunite them with their families.
She added that search operations were continuing across the area and adjoining communities to apprehend fleeing suspects and dismantle the criminal network.
“The Command therefore calls on healthcare practitioners, private and public hospitals, and members of the public to promptly report any individual presenting gunshot related injuries or seeking treatment under suspicious circumstances,” Adeh said.
She said the Commissioner of Police commended the operatives and local security volunteers involved in the operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating kidnapping and other violent crimes across the Federal Capital Territory.
