Gunmen kill 2 policemen at checkpoint in Abaji

Gunmen have shot dead two policemen at a checkpoint near Manderegi village in Abaji, on the Abuja-Lokoja road and escaped with one of their guns. A police source who preferred anonymity disclosed to our reporter, yesterday, that the incident happened on Sunday at about 8:30pm. He said the gunmen laid ambush on the policemen who […]

Gunmen have shot dead two policemen at a checkpoint near Manderegi village in Abaji, on the Abuja-Lokoja road and escaped with one of their guns.

A police source who preferred anonymity disclosed to our reporter, yesterday, that the incident happened on Sunday at about 8:30pm.

He said the gunmen laid ambush on the policemen who sat inside their tent close to the highway,  killing two of the officers.

He said  the incident happened shortly after four among the six police men left the checkpoint to have  dinner at a restaurant in Abaji town.

He gave the names of the police officers as Inspector Bala and Sergeant Titus.

“In fact, one of the officers was even eating the food he bought when they opened fire on him and his colleague, after four other officers had gone to Abaji to have their dinner,” he said.

The police source added that “when we got to the scene to evacuate their corpses, there was an empty shell of bullets they used which was from an AK 47 rifle.” 

He said the corpses of the two policemen had been deposited at Abaji General Hospital morgue, adding that the police were still combing the area to trace the gunmen’s hideout.

A farmer, who cultivates crops close to the police post told our reporter on condition of anonymity that the presence of policemen at the area had reduced cases of armed robbery on the highway.

“I came to the farm this morning when I saw some policemen at the checkpoint looking sad, until I later discovered that gunmen killed two of their men, which is very sad, “ he said.

City News learnt that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Tersoo Tile, had gone to brief the commissioner of police about the incident.

When contacted, the spokesman of the FCT police command, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, said investigations were on going and perpetrators would be fished out and be punished.