In the early hours of Friday, January 26, at about 2 am, operatives of the Special Intervention Squad of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command neutralized three notorious bandits in a forest linking Abuja to Kaduna State.
The bandits, including their gang leader, Mai Gemu, popularly known as Godara, had been terrorizing the FCT and neighboring states.
The operation was conducted by the newly launched Special Intervention Squad under the command of the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun.
The squad had taken over a major route in Usafa, Bwari Area Council, used by bandits to transport their victims out of Abuja into neighboring states of Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi.
The FCT SIS Commander, 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 successful operation is a significant step towards fortifying the security landscape in the Federal Capital Territory.
It demonstrates the commitment of the government and the security forces to rid the country of criminal activities, particularly kidnappings.
The most notorious among the incidents over the past seven months include the abduction of 23 persons including some members of the Al-Kadriyar and the Ariyo families on January 2, 2024, in the Bwari Area Council.
However, it is important to continue to work together to address the issue of insecurity in the country, including improving intelligence gathering and sharing among security agencies.
It highlights the effectiveness of the Nigerian security forces in combating these threats to national security and the commitment of the government to rid the country of criminal activities.