From December last year, up till the New Year several persons have been killed and kidnapped by bandits operating in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Lawrence Bajah reports on the situation.
Residents of Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, have been living with the gripping fear of bandits who go about kidnapping without restraint in recent time and, in most cases, killing their victims in the process.
No fewer than four people have been killed while 39 others were kidnapped when bloodthirsty bandits invaded Kuduru in Bwari area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as Garam and Azu, two communities in Niger State.
On Saturday, December 23, bandits invaded Garam community, which is five minutes’ drive from Bwari, killing a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), while kidnapping 13 other persons.
On Thursday, December 28, bandits again invaded Kuduru, which shares a boundary with Garam and kidnapped 18 people.
Again, on Friday, December 29, bandits invaded Azu, killed three people and kidnapped eight others.
A resident of Garam, who identified herself as Mrs Juliana, said in the first house the bandits entered, they asked for the house where their target lived.
She stated: “The bandits entered a wrong house, kidnapped two boys who later led them to the house of their target.
“When they got there, they kidnapped the entire family. But while leaving the house, they shot the man (their target), who is a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the presence of his wife and their three children.”
It was further gathered that when the wife realised that she left her six-month-old baby behind, she asked for permission of the bandits to carry the baby. She was escorted back to the house by the only female member among the bandits.
However, when the female bandit ran out of patience, she left the woman, joined the others and left with the other kidnapped persons who were 13 in number.
The pastor’s wife, it was gathered, is a teacher in one of the government secondary schools in Bwari.
Another eyewitness said the bandits made their way to the house of a military personnel, asking for his rifle and uniform from the wife.
“The wife told them that her husband was on duty. They, however, kidnapped two of his children,” Mrs Julianah, the eyewitness said, added that 13 persons were kidnapped, while a five-year-old son of the pastor that was killed was abandoned by the bandits at the riverside because he could not cross the river.
The boy was rescued by the vigilante who went on the trail of the bandits.
New Year attacks
The attacks continued into the New Year. Bandits attack Zuma community in Bwari area council, on Wednesday, January 3, injuring two police officers and kidnapping an undisclosed number of residents in the process.
The two police officers were allegedly injured during the face-off between them and the bandits.
It was learnt that the affected officers had been taken to hospital while unidentified numbers of residents were kidnapped by the bandits.
The January 3 morning attack was fifth in a series of attacks since the bandits struck Garam, Niger State, a boundary community with Bwari, FCT.
The bandits have, so far, have kidnapped more than 55 victims while more than three people have been killed in the process.
Overcome by grief
However, the fourth person to die was not directly by the hands of bandits. She was the wife of the pastor that was killed in the presence of his family.
She had barely recovered from the shock when the bandits called her mobile number to demand a ransom for her two kidnapped children.
Having heard their demands, it was gathered that the woman could not bear the grief of the loss of her husband and the agony of having her two children who are between the ages of seven and nine years being kidnapped. She slumped, entered into comma and later gave up the ghost.
Fresh attacks this week
A band of kidnappers dressed as herdsmen invaded Sagwari Layout Estate in Dutse, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory FCT in Bwari Area Council, on Sunday evening.
The kidnappers took eight residents and then proceeded to abduct two staff members of a nearby hotel.
The gun-wielding marauders who invaded the estate at about 7:30 p.m. were said to have shepherded their victims to the nearby hills behind the estate.
An eyewitness said efforts by some security personnel and the estate security to go after the kidnappers were fiercely resisted by the bandits, who had superior firepower and were firing from vantage positions atop the hills.
The witness said: “They came here at about 7 pm. I went out to buy something. So as I was about to lock the gate, they pushed it and entered. They tore my clothes and tied me up before entering the house. Then they brought out the people and made all of us sit down outside. But while they were distracted, I managed to escape.
“In all, they took five people in this compound. Four children and one woman. The woman is the mother of all the children. Her apartment was the only one they entered in the compound. Three of us escaped – one pastor coming down from the mountain, a guy in the other compound, and myself. They took the others up to the mountain.”
A staff of the estate, who gave his name as John, told newsmen that: “Yesterday, at about 7:30 in the evening, I sat down here, when a lady ran into the compound. When I asked her what was pursuing her, she was dumbfounded. When I went to check the gate, I discovered that some people had run inside. Some were dressed in military uniforms and they had weapons. So we followed through the back to go and hide. While we were hiding, they entered the reception. When I eventually came out from where I was hiding, I discovered that the receptionist and the barman who was watching television at the reception were missing.
“They split themselves. Some were in one compound, while the others entered the opposite compound. The lady who opened the gate for them in the compound was the one who ran down here. She did not know who they were, so when they knocked, she opened the gate. But once she did, they just entered the compound. It was when they couldn’t find her, that they came here and took the two people.
“We entered the bushes because we suspected they had taken them to the mountain. But we could not find them. The police also came and joined the search, but we still did not find them. One of the persons they kidnapped was a pastor, but he managed to escape while they were trying to kidnap more people.”
FCTA responds
When contacted about the spate of killings and abduction in Abuja, Dr Olumuji Peter, Secretary, Command and Control Centre, who spoke to Nigerian Tribune on behalf of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), said: “The FCT minister has been on top of that issue and he has also mandated the security agencies to ensure that every resident in Bwari area council and any of the five other councils that make up the FCT are able to sleep with their two eyes closed.
“Between December and early January, the police commissionerof FCT, CP Haruna Garba, had to pay a visit to Bwari and various communities there to build confidence of the residents. He had to make additional deployment of manpower, vehicular assets and the police technical squad into that place to ensure that everyone is safe. So what you see happen most of the time is on social media and the police will want to discourage people from sharing news that is not verified.
“The Sagwari issue is because a resident was able to call the police control room number and there was swift response. The police are on the track of those who are being kidnapped to rescue them alive without being hurt, we want to enjoin everyone to have the police control room number so that at any point you are in distress, you can always put a call to them, but the FCT minister really is up and doing on that and ensuring that everywhere in FCT is secure.”
Police reactions
The FCT commissioner of Police, Haruna Garba, reacting to the activities of the bandits, via the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said, “It is imperative that individuals refrain from disseminating unverified information from the comfort of their homes, as it may incite unnecessary panic in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Instead, we encourage the public to responsibly share any pertinent information with the appropriate authorities.
“In Bwari, the Commissioner of Police, on January 3, 2024, diligently visited all communities in the region. During these visits, he engaged with community leaders, assessed security arrangements and took proactive measures, including deploying additional personnel and an armoured police vehicle. Despite these efforts, concerns have been raised about perceived inactivity.
“However, we would like to emphasise that revealing detailed security strategies publicly poses a risk to their effectiveness. We appreciate your cooperation and urge citizens to exercise restraint in sharing potentially misleading or mischievous posts. Working in harmony with the police will undoubtedly contribute to a safer and more secure environment for all.”
‘Kidnapped persons not up to 200’
Federal Capital Territory Police command refuted the number of people reported to have been abducted.
In a statement issued to newsmen on Wednesday, in Abuja, by Adeh, the FCT Police Commissioner, Garba, was quoted as saying: “The FCT police command is aware of the news making rounds about the alleged kidnap of over 200 persons between December 23, 2023 and January 4, 2024, in Bwari and Kuje area councils.
“Consequent to the above, the command wishes to categorically state that there are pockets of abduction of persons in the communities mentioned, but the figure is being escalated to create fear and apprehension in the populace.
“The Commissioner of Police, FCT, in a continued effort to enhance the security of the residents and prevention of pockets of abduction, on January 2024, visited communities in Bwari.
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