The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismissed claims made by Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Centre regarding a robbery incident in the Apo Resettlement area of Abuja, describing them as “false and misleading.”
During a recent midweek church service, Pastor Enenche said he had received a distressing report from a church member who claimed to have witnessed a violent attack by armed individuals on motorbikes in Zone E, Apo Resettlement, on Monday, 23 June 2025.
The pastor alleged that the attackers, described as “herdsmen’s children,” opened fire at a vigilante post and that the police failed to stop them. He also accused government officials of being more focused on upcoming elections than on protecting citizens.
He said, “We are talking about the capital territory,Yet there are people doing business as usual. The political class is focused on elections instead of the safety of lives.”
“This woman said she had a child in this school (name withheld), that they sprayed the vigilante place with bullets. This is an eyewitness account.”
He continued, “Police came, as she said, and tried to engage them but to no avail. They returned to their motorbikes, all freed, and drove up the mountain in that area and went off.
“We are talking of the Capital Territory. Whereas there are people who are doing business as usual. We have a lot of the political class now; what is on their mind is not the current situation but the future expectation of the election.
“I think there have to be people before you can be a leader. We are not going to keep watching like this. Most times, we wait until the dying minutes and now they have announced election intentions.”
However, in a statement issued on Sunday, FCT Police spokesperson SP Josephine Adeh strongly refuted the claims, saying the Command had responded promptly to the incident and engaged the attackers in a gunfight.
“Police operatives responded immediately after receiving a distress call and engaged the armed assailants,” Adeh said. “Three persons were injured, and one later died in the hospital. A stolen vehicle was recovered from the scene.”
Adeh said a joint manhunt involving the police and local vigilantes is currently ongoing to arrest the suspects who fled the scene.
She criticised the pastor’s remarks, saying they were based on unverified information and could damage public confidence in security agencies.
“Statements like these, especially from influential figures, can create unnecessary panic and disrupt ongoing investigations,” she added.
The police also called on the church member who allegedly witnessed the incident to come forward with any useful information to assist with the investigation.
Residents of the FCT were urged to remain calm, vigilant, and to report any suspicious activities to the police.
“For accurate updates, the public should rely only on verified information from official police sources,” Adeh concluded.