At least, one person was shot dead by gunmen suspected to be armed robbers at about 8:45pm, on Wednesday, at Gana Street in the Maitama area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, while another was abducted.
Some residents, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said the victim was killed while trying to rescue a man that was being forced into a black Prado SUV by the gunmen.
The source noted that the SUV was parked at Gana Street, where the victim was shot in the head by one of the gunmen, leading to instant death.
Our correspondent, however, gathered that the suspects escaped with a victim while the body of the deceased was still on the street during the night.
Sources suspected young men who usually loitered around the area, adding that in recent times, supermarkets and pharmaceutical stores in Maitama had become their targets. This was as residents alleged that the police had abandoned the area despite complaints.
Confirming the incident on Thursday, the FCT police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, claimed that the police was investigating the incident, while denying the allegation of abandonment.
She said, “We are investigating the incident, but it is not true that the police have not been doing anything to secure pharmacies in the area, as alleged. The Commissioner of Police, Babaji Sunday, has been working round the clock to ensure that the FCT is safe and secured for everyone to go about their businesses.”
A police source, however, noted that it was a car theft.
He said, “It was a case of car theft. The armed robbers probably traced the man to the location because he had just purchased the car. They tried to snatch car from him, in the process, the guy who was shot believed that it was a street fight, unknown to him, it was a robbery, and he was shot. He was later rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately, he died.
“The man that was abducted was later found, and he is getting better now. The police were with him last night and we’re doing our best to track the car as we believe it will be useless to them, and the car will definitely stop somewhere.”
