Operatives of the Special Intervention Squad of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command eliminated three notorious bandits in a forest located within the Bwari area of Abuja.
The operation took place during the early hours of Friday, January 26, around 2 a.m., in a forest connecting Abuja to Kaduna State.
One of the terrorists neutralized was Mai Gemu, commonly known as Godara, the leader of the gang responsible for terrorizing the FCT and neighboring regions.
This was disclosed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, during a briefing in Abuja on Friday.
He also mentioned that approximately 20 criminal suspects from various parts of the country were apprehended and paraded as part of the ongoing law enforcement efforts.
Adejobi said, “We’ve recorded another significant stride towards fortifying the security landscape in the Federal Capital Territory following the recent launch of the Special Intervention Squad under the command of the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun.
“The SIS, in the early hours of Friday, neutralises one of the most wanted kidnap kingpins, Mai Gemu, aka Godara and two other members of his gang in an exchange of gunfire in the Bwari area of Abuja in a forest linking Abuja with Kaduna State.”
The FCT SIS Commander and Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igwe, confirmed the development last Saturday when a team of armed policemen and crime reporters stormed the bushy and hilly parts of Ushafa community as SIS operatives mounted guards to flush out bandits.
The Federal Capital Territory Police Special Intervention Squad has assumed control of a critical route in Usafa, Bwari Area Council, previously utilized by bandits for transporting their victims out of Abuja into neighboring states such as Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi.
Commissioner of Police Bennett Igwe, the commander of FCT SIS, confirmed this action last Saturday. A team comprising armed policemen and crime reporters ventured into the bushy and hilly terrain of Ushafa community, where SIS operatives stood guard to expel bandits.
The surge in insecurity within the FCT has sparked significant concerns among residents and authorities alike.
Once considered relatively shielded from the prevailing security issues in other parts of the country, the capital city now grapples with an escalating wave of criminal activities, particularly kidnappings.
One of the most infamous incidents in the past seven months was the abduction of 23 individuals, including members of the Al-Kadriyar and Ariyo families, on January 2, 2024, in the Bwari Area Council.