Bandits kill 1, kidnap 4 in Abuja
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Bandits, in the early hours of yesterday, renewed their onslaught on Bwari Area Council in the nation’s capital. At least, one person was reportedly killed, and four others kidnapped. The incident happened in the Guto area of Bwari.
The attack which began around 12:30 am on the fringes of Guto and Piyawe communities, was extended to Tudun-Fulani and Sabon Gari areas, both within the headquarters of Bwari Area Council.
Witnesses claimed that two separate groups had invaded the area council, with kidnappers numbering over 30 surrounding the communities and shooting sporadically, forcing their way into people’s homes.
Witnesses further alleged that the invaders came into the Piwaye through the swamps and made their way to Guto and Piyawe, where they kidnapped a man and killed a woman in her mid 40.
The deceased, whose name was simply given as Madam Alice, was said to have only visited her sick mother who stays with her brother in Bwari, where she unfortunately met her death.
Two victims were allegedly abducted from their homes in Guto, while another person was kidnapped from Tudun-Fulani, which is less than a kilometre away from the council secretariat.
A resident, who pleaded anonymity, said the attackers operated from 12:30 am to 2:30 am with no challenge from the security agents.
“What happened last night was very unfortunate. We couldn’t sleep from 12:30 am when they started till almost three o’clock.”
\”\” Initially, we thought it was vigilante people that were shooting, but when it became persistent, we knew these people were back again.
“We have had peace for some time now, but unfortunately, they have resumed, and this time with full force because there were two groups that entered Bwari yesterday. One was in Guto, while the other group was in Piyawe. It was obvious those ones came prepared, because the sounds we heard through the night suggest they came with sophisticated weapons,” the witness told newsmen.
Another resident of Tudun-Fulani, alleged that the police failed to show up even when frantic calls were made to the divisional headquarters in Bwari.
“We felt so helpless because the kidnappers operated for over an hour, but there was no police or army to challenge them. I called my neighbour when the shooting started and he said he had already called the police. We waited for them to show up for 20 minutes and when we didn’t hear the sounds of sirens, we called again but they kept telling us they were on their way. We never saw them until the kidnappers left on their own,” she claimed.
Bwari Area Council had been in the news since early this year, when bandits and kidnappers overran the place, abducting people for ransom.
A 400 level student of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, and 13-year-old Folashade Ariyo, were both kidnapped in separate attacks in Bwari and Dutse-Alhaji respectively. Both victims were later killed by their abductors because their release was not secured on time.
Attempts to get the police reaction to the latest attack has been unsuccessful, as phone calls and WhatsApp messages sent to the Police Public Relations Officer for the FCT Command, Josephine Adeh, were unanswered.
