At least seven policemen were shot dead by gunmen in capital Abuja on Tuesday, according to a police spokesman.

This is the first time in several years that such a high number of security personnel have been targeted and killed in the capital city, although Nigeria has repeatedly recorded killings of policemen in other parts of the country, especially in the insurgency-wracked northeast region.

"I can confirm that seven police officers paid the supreme price in the line of duty late on Monday," Istifanus Sunday Bako, a police spokesman in the capital town, told Anadolu Agency.

So far, no arrests have been made in the incident that took place at Galadimawa junction of the city.