A statement by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mbah, said that the gunmen stormed the facility at about 2.00 a.m. on Monday and instantly engaged policemen in gun battle which lasted some minutes.
He said that two policemen were confirmed dead after the attack, adding that the suspects that escaped were not detained for terrorism-related offences.
Mbah also said that 25 of the fleeing suspects were rearrested while two of the attackers were arrested.
Checks by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that some suspected Boko Haram operatives had suspected that their members were being detained at the location which is behind the Nigerian Security, Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) Garki, Abuja and decided to attack it.
It was learnt that the attack took policemen on duty by surprise and that immediately the detained suspects started hearing gunshots, they became restless and made attempts to escape.
Their efforts were said to have paid off when 30 of them escaped.
Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar, was seen driving into the location at around 12.30 p.m. while officials on guard refused to allow journalists into the heavily guarded facility.
There were reports that a photographer with Daily Independent newspaper who attempted to take shots of the scene was brutalised by policemen on guard.
Two armoured tanks and a large number of policemen carrying AK-47 guns were on guard at the scene when Nigerian Tribune visited.
A white Hiace bus trailed by a police Hilux van drove into the complex carrying some persons said to be some of the fleeing suspects, but no policeman on duty volunteered information as to the extent of damage at the facility.
The statement by Frank Mba, however added that the Inspector General of Police has set up a high powered investigative team to handle the matter.
The statement, which indicated that Police foiled an attack on SARS read in part: “In the early hours of today, 26th November, 2012, at about 2.00 a.m., unknown gunmen in large number attacked the premises of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command.
“Policemen on duty responded swiftly and engaged the gunmen in a gun battle that lasted for some minutes, at the end of which the gunmen were successfully repelled.
“However, in the confusion that ensued, about 30 suspects in the detention facilities of SARS broke out of the cells and attempted to escape. Tactical and coordinated efforts to re-arrest the fleeing suspects yielded instant result. So far, 25 of the suspects have been re-arrested, while five suspects originally being held in relation to robbery-related offences are currently at large.
“Two policemen died during the operation while two of the attackers have been arrested.
“It needs to be emphasised here that no suspect held for terror-related charges escaped from SARS detention facilities. No explosive or IED-related materials were used in the botched attack.
“Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni has personally visited the scene of the incident to assess the situation. He has equally ordered a high-powered investigative panel headed by a senior police officer to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incidence.
Gunmen kill ANPP chairman
Meanwhile, the chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Magumen Local Government Area of Borno State, Tar Kusurambe, was on Monday, killed by suspected Boko Haram members.
The chairman, who returned from Hajj a few days ago, was murdered on Monday at about 2.00 p.m.
Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, it is believed to have been carried out by members of the insurgent Boko Haram group.
The Borno Joint Task Force and the state police did not respond to calls for details of the incident.
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