40 gunmen attack Abuja police detention facility

Forty gunmen suspected to be terrorists in the early hours of Monday stormed  the office of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Abuja, where  suspects  were being held.

Two policemen and one of the gunmen were killed in the incident, the first of  its kind  in the Federal Capital Territory which had in the past recorded three bomb blasts.

The blasts were  on  October 1, 2010;  June 16, 2011;  and  August 26, 2011.

At least 30 detainees, including  some Boko Haram members,  were said to have escaped during the Monday attack on  the detention facility.

But the police denied that terror suspects were among the escapees. They also said that 25 of the 30 detainees had so far been rearrested.

The attack occurred barely 24 hours after twin car bomb blasts at  the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State.

 The army authorities had on Friday  declared 19 Boko Haram leaders wanted and offered rewards of between N50m  and N10m for information that could lead to their capture.

A source in the police told one of our correspondents that the surprise attack on the detention facility, located around Abattoir, Garki in  Abuja was carried out around 2am.

It lasted for some minutes during which heavy weapons were allegedly  used by the gunmen.

 The senior police officer put the number of the attackers at about 40. “The attackers numbering about 40 came from the bush and attempted to overrun the facility but the valiant policemen on duty repelled them.” the source said.

According to him, one of the attackers was killed and two others arrested.

A mobile police officer,  whose name could not be immediately ascertained  and a police Inspector,  Fakat Zaremi,  were killed during the exchange of gunfire.

Emmanuel Domsing, a lawyer, said he was informed early in the morning that his brother, Zaremi,  was killed by the gunmen.

He said, “I was called that my elder brother was killed during the attack, but information is scanty on what actually transpired; the family is waiting for a formal report from the police.”

Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, visited the facility around 1pm on Monday. He  was briefed by the SARS Commander and the Federal Capital Territory  Commissioner of Police, Ade Shinaba.

Abubakar, then ordered a high-powered  panel headed by a Senior Police Officer to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Some senior military officers were also said to have paid visits to the facility to commiserate with the police on the attack.

When one of our correspondents visited the detention facility, security around the complex was tight as armed policemen turned back all visitors.

A photojournalist with Daily Independent, Jide Oyekunle, was arrested and detained  by the police for attempting to take pictures of the SARS office after the invasion by the gunmen.