Gunmen Abduct 16 Residents, Including Four Children, in FCT Satellite Community
TEC News| Abuja
Residents of Peze community in the Byazhi area of Kubwa, under Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, are reeling in shock after gunmen abducted no fewer than 16 people during a night attack on the community.
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday night between about 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., saw heavily armed attackers invade the neighbourhood, moving from house to house while attempting to force their way into residents’ homes.
Eyewitness accounts revealed that the gunmen had earlier assembled in an uncompleted building opposite a residential house before launching the coordinated attack on the community.
According to a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity, the attackers banged on doors and moved around houses, shouting to provoke occupants to respond.
“The way they operate is that once someone responds, they break the window to gain entry into the house,” the resident said.
He added that the gunmen threatened to kill occupants who refused to open their doors, warning that they would break through windows and attack anyone inside.
When they failed to gain access to some houses, the attackers reportedly moved to other homes where they succeeded in abducting several residents.
Among those abducted were four children belonging to a pastor in the community. The pastor was said to have stepped out briefly when the gunmen struck.
According to the source, by the time the pastor returned after hearing reports of the attack, he discovered that four of his children had been taken, leaving only the youngest child behind.
The family of a local vigilante commander was also affected during the raid. The commander had reportedly left his house shortly before the attackers stormed the area after receiving a call that gunmen had entered a nearby residence.
Unaware that the attackers had already surrounded his own house, the vigilante commander rushed to the location mentioned by the caller. When he attempted to return, the gunmen reportedly blocked him on the road and opened fire.
The attackers subsequently invaded his residence and abducted his wife and her younger sister, who had reportedly come to visit the family a few days earlier.
Residents disclosed that the woman had given birth less than 40 days earlier, and the kidnappers left the newborn baby behind before escaping with their victims. Sources also claimed that the gunmen ate the food she had been cooking before taking her away.
Security operatives were said to have arrived in the community after the attackers had fled with the victims.
Residents further revealed that the kidnappers have since contacted some of the affected families to demand ransom for the release of those abducted.
Community members lamented that the area has witnessed several kidnapping incidents in recent weeks, including an earlier abduction on January 4 that prompted residents to organize local vigilante patrols.
They are now calling on authorities and security agencies in the Federal Capital Territory to urgently deploy more personnel to the area and take decisive steps to curb the rising wave of kidnappings affecting satellite communities around Abuja.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force in the FCT, Josephine Adeh, for official comments were unsuccessful.
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