Gunmen kill 7 policemen, one civilian in Abuja

Abuja—The Police in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, yesterday, confirmed that seven officers and one civilian were killed by unknown gunmen stationed at a Police Post at the junction of Galadimawa Roundabout after Sun City Estate, on the way to the airport.

Police sources told Vanguard that the manner of killings showed that the killers were trained snipers; either ex-military or ex-police marksmen.

The source also disclosed that the police weapons belonging to the late officers, including AK-47 rifles, were taken away by the gunmen.

Meanwhile, a statement issued last night by the FCT Police Spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manza, said the Police have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the act. The statement read:

“The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Sadiq Abubakar Bello, has reassured members of the public that the Command has deployed proactive security measures to protect lives and properties in the Federal Capital Territory.

“He stated this on Tuesday during his visit to Galadimawa Roundabout for on-the-spot assessment of the incident that claimed the lives of some policemen during a fierce gun battle with some dare-devil men of the underworld.

“While commiserating with families of the deceased policemen, who paid the supreme price while serving their fatherland, the Commissioner of Police wishes to assure law-abiding FCT residents and the public that the Command has set machineries in motion to arrest the fleeing assailants and bring them to justice.

“The Command Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, CIID, have commenced investigation to unmask the identities of the criminal elements behind the dastardly act.”