By Joseph Edeh
Abuja – The FCT Police Command said it had dislodged a suspected armed robbery and cattle rustling syndicate in a village in Kwali Area Council of Abuja.
A statement by the command’s spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, said the syndicate which rustled some cows and sheep from a community in Niger, were intercepted on April 26 after a fierce gun battle with the police patrol team.
He said one of the suspects was killed during the shoot-out while five of his accomplices fled with varying degrees of bullet wounds.
He said one pump action gun, two live cartridges, 109 cows and 29 sheep were recovered.
Manzah said FCT commissioner of Police, Mr Musa Kimo who commended the Police operatives for their bravery, has ordered for a massive manhunt for the fleeing suspects.
In a related development, the FCT Police Command has advised residents to be vigilant while boarding taxis.
Manzah in a statement said the advise became necessary following activities of suspected armed robbers using taxis to rob their victims.
He said that operatives of the command on patrol along Tunga maje, FCT, arrested a suspect, Kingsley Chijioke of Jabi on April 7.
The spokesman said that suspect who was operating with his cohorts, now at large, was arrested by the police patrol team along Goffina Village, Zuba, Abuja while robbing two of their passengers at gun point.
He said his cohorts who fled on sighting the Police team, absconded with N25,000, one Lumia window cell phone, one techno phone, ID Cards and ATM Card which belonged to two of their victims.
Manzah said that effort was being made to arrest the fleeing suspects, recover the firearm used for the operation and all the items belonging to the victims.
He said that the operational vehicle of the syndicate, blue coloured Mazda with reg. no. YAB 426 BS which was recovered, has been transferred to the Command Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for discreet investigation.
