Gunmen have shot dead a police officer as officers foiled the abduction of the family members of the Chairman of Bwari Area Council of the FCT, John Gabaya, in his Tokulo community home.

City & Crime had reported that bandits on Saturday, February 2, 2021, invaded the community and abducted the chairman's father, John Makama, alongside with his two family members, but regained their freedom on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, after a ransom was reportedly paid.

Confirming the latest incident through telephone to our reporter on Tuesday, an aide to the council chairman, who preferred anonymity for security reasons, said the incident happened on Sunday at about 12pm.

He explained that the bandits who invaded Tokulo community through a Kaduna forest wielding AK-47 rifles engaged vigilantes guarding the chairman's private residence and that a police team from Bwari Division were alerted and immediately mobilised to the community and engaged the bandits in a shootout.

He said one of the bandits shot and killed one of the police officers during cross fire, but that following the superior fire power of the police the bandits fled.

He added that the attack on the family of the chairman by bandits was the third time between February, 2021, and April 6, 2024.

Reacting, the spokeswoman of the FCT Police Command, SP Adeh Josephine, confirmed the latest attack on Tokulo community, said hoodlums stormed Tokulo village in the early hours of Sunday in an attempt to kidnap the family of the council chairman of Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya.

She further said, "But fortunately, a police team came on time to engage the kidnappers in a bloody gun duel and foiled the abduction. But one of the policemen was killed during the exchange of gunshots."

She added that one of the kidnappers too was shot dead, and that the chairman's family were later evacuated into a police vehicle.