•FCT Minister Wike and bandits
Residents of Kungabokun and Paze, two communities in the Byazhin district on the outskirts of Kubwa, Bwari Area Council, have narrated their horrific experiences following successive attacks by a gang of kidnappers.
In operations occurring just a week apart, at least 16 persons were abducted across three separate incidents, reports Daily Trust.
During the raids, the bandits reportedly stole cooking pots and oil before sending an account number to the victims’ families to demand ransom payments.
The attacks in Kungabokun
In Kungabokun, gunmen attacked the home of a retired military captain and abducted his three children. They also raided a nearby poultry farm, killing a security guard before abducting three farm workers.
Furthermore, the gunmen attacked a herder’s hamlet, kidnapping two housewives and a teenage girl who was visiting the family to assist her sister, a nursing mother.
Rescue operations in Paze
In the neighboring Paze community, attackers raided the home of a pastor and abducted his four children.
Information gathered suggests that a week after the incident, all victims—except those taken from the herder’s hamlet—were rescued last Thursday. This was the result of a joint security operation conducted near the boundary between the FCT and Kaduna State.
A staff member from the affected farm, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said he was invited to the Divisional Police Headquarters in Byazhin. There, he was informed that his three “boys” (workers) had been rescued and was instructed to go to Lungi Barracks in Abuja to receive them.
He further stated that five rifles — including four AK-47s and a gun stolen from the slain vigilante —were recovered.
Four of the attackers were reportedly killed during the rescue mission. The rescued workers were taken to a hospital for medical attention before reuniting with their families, many of whom reside outside the FCT.
A community in fear
A visit to the pastor’s house in Paze revealed an empty home with the gates locked; neighbors say the family has not returned since the abduction of the children.
One resident, who witnessed the attack around 9pm, recalled seeing men in face masks.
He alerted the local vigilante group, who responded quickly but were met with heavy gunfire.
“The vigilante team was lucky to be able to withdraw successfully,” the resident said.
The gunmen proceeded to abduct several other residents, including a commercial motorcyclist and his two passengers.
Bullet holes were visible on a church signboard nearby, marking the violence of the night.
While grateful for the successful rescue, the resident lamented that many people are now fleeing the area in fear.
While many have been freed, the families of the two housewives and the teenage girl taken from the herder’s hamlet in Kungabokun are still struggling.
A resident, Dalha Sulaiman recounted the 1am raid on Friday: “They pointed a gun at my face and threatened to shoot. They kicked me out of my room and forced me to lead them to my brother’s home. They abducted my second wife and my elder brother’s wife.”
Sulaiman noted that the gunmen stole a cooking pot and oil as they left. The kidnappers initially demanded N40 million for the three victims but eventually lowered the demand to N2 million.
“They sent account details and asked us to pay into it,” Sulaiman added, noting that the family is currently pleading with the captors to accept N1.5 million.
