"There was a heavy gun duel along Kaduna-Abuja expressway between security operatives and armed bandits on January 6."

The Police Command in Kaduna State has dismissed as misleading, media reports on the purported abduction of commuters along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway on 6 January.

This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Kaduna by the command's Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan.

"To counter the misinformation flow, the Command wishes to set the record straight.

"There was a heavy gun duel along Kaduna-Abuja expressway between security operatives and armed bandits on January 6, at 23:30 hours or thereabout.

"The incident occurred when the armed bandits in large numbers attempted to cross the said expressway at Dogon Fili area heading towards Jere axis and were engaged in a fierce shootout by the well alerted security agents who dislodged the hoodlums and ensured a lot of them only escaped but with gunshot wounds.

"The Police Command is calling on the public around that axis to be on the watch for any person or persons nursing suspected bullet injuries and report same to the closest Police station or any security outfit."

According to him, in the course of the encounter, commuters plying the highway were caught in a crossfire and six persons sustained varying degrees of bullet injuries and were all rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

"It was an unfortunate isolated incident in a long time as the Kaduna-Abuja expressway has since been fortified for the use of commuters.

"Thus, the general public should disregard the misleading fear-inducing story."

He said the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ali Dabigi, has urged journalists to always verify their stories with concerned security agencies before going to press.

"This will ensure that only the right and correct information are availed to the public," the command spokesman added.