Residents of Abaji area council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) set the corpse of a suspected armed robber on fire on Thursday
According to News Direct, the incident occurred when robbers attacked a bank in the town around 5:30 pm. According to a police officer, the robbers initially targeted the police station on Toto Road, where an inspector, identified as Abila, was shot dead. The robbers, arriving in two unmarked vehicles, began shooting into the police station. “I was fortunate to escape,” said the officer, “but Inspector Abila, who had initially escaped, was fatally shot in the chest.”
Witnesses reported that members of the gang then moved to the First Bank branch at the roundabout, firing sporadically. A bank staff member, who requested anonymity, said the robbers failed to access the strong room but managed to steal some cash from the counter. They shot a guard who had sought refuge in the bank’s security house bathroom before entering the bank.
A combined team of police, soldiers, vigilantes, and hunters responded swiftly, engaging the robbers in a fierce gun battle, resulting in the death of two robbers. An enraged mob then seized one of the corpses and set it ablaze.
FCT Police Commissioner, CP Benneth Igweh, who later arrived at the scene with police officers, confirmed the deaths of two robbers during the exchange of gunfire with security operatives. He stated that the police anti-robbery squad and hunters had been deployed to the bush to track down the fleeing robbers. CP Igweh commended the combined efforts of the security team for foiling the attack and expressed condolences to the family of the deceased inspector.
