The police command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in a combined operation with the Nigerian military, has foiled a bank robbery attempt in the Abaji Area Council of the FCT.

The police public relations officer in the FCT, SP Josephine Adeh, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

She said the commissioner of police in charge of the FCT, Benneth Igweh, led the operation that foiled the robbery attempt on June 13.

Ms Adeh said security forces had engaged the 15-man robbery gang in an intense gun duel after the robbers had attacked the bank with dynamite in an attempt to rob.

She said the gun duel forced the armed robbers to scamper to safety with various degrees of bullet wounds while the security forces succeeded in apprehending three of the gang members.

The FCT police spokesperson said the suspects were arrested with various degrees of bullet injuries.

According to her, a yet-to-be-identified suspect was set ablaze by a mob at the scene after being neutralised by the security forces.

“A police operative and the gang leader with bullet injuries were rushed to the hospital but later confirmed dead by the doctor on duty, while others are still receiving treatment,” she said.

She said a search operation was still ongoing to apprehend fleeing members of the gang with bullet injuries.

Ms Adeh said the commissioner commended the effectiveness of the combined operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to continue to make FCT unsafe for criminals.

(NAN)