In a significant breakthrough, operatives of the Special Intervention Squad, Federal Capital Territory Police Command, successfully neutralized three notorious bandits, including their leader, in a forest within the Bwari area of Abuja.
The encounter occurred in the early hours of Friday, January 26, around 2 am, in a forest that links Abuja to Kaduna State. The slain bandits, led by Mai Gemu, commonly known as Godara, had been infamous for terrorizing the FCT and neighboring states.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja, where approximately 20 criminal suspects were paraded for various offenses across the country.
Adejobi announced, “The Special Intervention Squad, in the early hours of Friday, neutralized one of the most wanted kidnap kingpins, Mai Gemu aka Godara, and two other members of his gang in an exchange of gunfire in the Bwari area of Abuja.”
The Federal Capital Territory Police Special Intervention Squad had intensified efforts to secure major routes used by bandits to transport victims out of Abuja into neighboring states. Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igwe, confirmed these operations aimed at curbing banditry in the region.
The surge in insecurity in the FCT has prompted heightened concerns among residents and authorities. Once considered relatively immune to such challenges, Abuja is now grappling with an escalating wave of criminal activities, particularly kidnappings.
Among the notable incidents was the abduction of 23 individuals, including members of the Al-Kadriyar and Ariyo families, in the Bwari Area Council on January 2, 2024. The recent operation signifies a significant step in the efforts to enhance security and combat criminal elements in the nation’s capital.
