The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested 19 suspected cultists after engaging the them in a fierce gun duel in Abuja.
The incident, which took place in Bakassi Yimitu Village in Apo-Waru axis of Abuja, saw a police man and a vigilante member shot during the operation.
The suspected cultists also reportedly attacked a Police outstation in the area in an effort to release their members, who were earlier arrested.
The Command, in a statement on Friday in Abuja by its spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Ajao Adewale, said in response to repeated complaints from residents of Bakassi Yimitu Village in the Apo-Waru axis over suspected cult activities, a Joint Task Force led by the Police, comprising local vigilantes and hunters, conducted a crime prevention patrol in the area on Wednesday, July 24, 2025.
“During the operation, the team encountered a gathering suspected to be that of the reported cultists who have been terrorising the area.
“Upon sighting security personnel, they opened fire. A gun duel ensued, leading to the arrest and detention of 19 suspects at Waru Police Outstation, while others escaped with various degrees of bodily injuries. “Sadly, one Police officer and a local vigilante sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the hospital for medical attention,” Adeh said.
She added that shortly after, the escaped assailants regrouped, mobilised, and launched an attack on the Waru Police Outstation in an attempt to free their detained accomplices.
In the process, the hoodlums reportedly vandalised parts of the facility, three patrol Hilux vehicles, and damaged six privately owned cars within the premises.
The FCT said the miscreants were repelled as reinforcements were swiftly deployed to the scene, adding that normalcy has since been restored to the area.
The FCT Police Commissioner further said the Command will not rest until other members of the syndicate at large were arrested and brought to book.
