By KINGSLEY OMONOBI

Abuja -Three members of a kidnapping gang in the Federal Capital Territory have been gunned down during an exchange of fire with policemen near Suleija where they had attempted to collect a ransom of N4million.

The policemen rescued one Abdullahi Ahmed who works in the FCT High Court from the gang. His hands and legs had already been tied and his face blindfolded by the hoodlums.  Three short guns and two magazines were recovered from the gang.

Briefing newsmen on the operation, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge Administration at FCT Command, Mr. Stephen Akpei said the kidnapping occurred last Tuesday and that the victim was abducted some few meters to his house by the gang operating in a taxi around Kubwa.

“They demanded N4million from him but unknown to them, the police had been alerted. We mapped out a strategy and the kidnappers came to collect the ransom.

On getting there, they suspected that our men were there and opened fire. In the ensuing exchange, one of them was killed while another was seriously wounded. They also wounded our men.

“We arrested the wounded member and he took us to their hideout. On noticing that the Police was near their hideout, they opened fire on our men but were overpowered in the shootout and two others were gunned down. Two of them are currently on the run.

Narrating his experience, the victim, Abdullahi Ahmed said “On Tuesday at about 8 pm, when I closed from work and went home, I saw a taxi and some people inside close to my house. They jumped out and came to me and one of them hit me on the head. Then pushed my head down and told me they are kidnappers from Niger Delta”.

“They drove round for a long time before taking me to the bush. They took my phone and called my wife, told her they would kill me unless I paid a N10million ransom. But after much negotiation, they brought it down to N4million. It was when they came to collect the money that the Police nabbed them”.