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Not fewer than 20 residents of Dawaki, a community near Kubwa in the Federal Capital Territory, have been kidnapped by bandits.
The attackers were said to have raided houses on Frank Opara Street before security operatives responded to distress calls.
The Chairman of Dawaki Rock Heaven Community, Tunde Abdulrahim, who spoke to newsmen said the incident happened at about 7.30pm on Monday.
Abdulrahim said the armed men, numbering about 50, invaded the community and broke into about six houses.
Reacting to the incident, the FCT police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said in a statement on Monday that the Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, led policemen to the scene and engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle.
The statement read, “In an immediate and strategic response to a distress call on the attack by unknown gunmen in Dawaki at about 11.30pm, the operatives of the FCT Police Command, led by the Commissioner of Police, CP Igweh, himself, swiftly mobilised to the scene.
“Displaying remarkable bravery and coordination, the police, in synergy with local hunters, advanced on the assailants, tactically ambushing them at Ushafa Hill via Bwari and Shishipe Hills via Mpape.
“This led to a fierce gun duel as the hoodlums were overwhelmed by the firepower of the operatives, forcing them to scamper to safety with various degrees of bullet injuries, and the victims were rescued.
“While one of the rescued victims is still in the hospital receiving medical attention, the Commissioner of Police, FCT, reaffirms the command’s steadfast dedication to maintaining peace and security in the territory, as search operations are ongoing to rescue other hostages who fled the scene during the shootout.”
