In Abuja, a pastor known only as Àjàyí was allegedly abducted by suspected kidnappers from the El-Rufai Estate in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The incident shattered a period of relative calm in the community following a spate of kidnappings in the FCT.
According to a resident identified as El-Ameen, who spoke with our correspondent via telephone on Saturday, the suspects unleashed chaos by firing shots into the air upon their arrival in the community.
El-Ameen further revealed that the swift response of nearby military personnel likely prevented additional abductions, as they promptly intervened to confront the invaders.
The abduction took place around noon on Tuesday, catching residents off guard as gunfire rang out, leaving many unable to venture outside. The incident occurred in the El-Rufai Estate, situated just a few kilometers from the Nigerian Law School, and had not been previously reported.
“I have a property in the estate. A pastor who worked with the education board was kidnapped. They invaded his house after gaining entry into the estate. After shooting for some minutes, they abducted him.
“There was a local vigilante group on the estate, but they were overwhelmed. They could not match the firepower of the gunmen. They were about to go to another house when the soldiers came. They fled immediately after seeing the soldiers.
But they had already abducted the pastor before fleeing,” El-Ameen told our correspondent.
Bandits have attacked communities in Bwari, abducting several residents in recent times. In December 2023, approximately six sisters and their father were taken from their home in the area council.
In response to public concern over the unstable security situation, the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, promised in February 2024 that adequate security measures would be implemented in Bwari and the surrounding areas.
He hinted that substantial security forces had been deployed based on intelligence from security agencies to ensure the safety of residents, as well as private and public institutions in the area.
However, a resident known as Danladi, who witnessed the night attack, reported that residents were in shock when gunshots rang out in the estate on Tuesday.
Danladi said, “It happened about two days ago. They didn’t injure anyone, but they abducted one person. They (the kidnappers) have not called the estate since the abduction.
“The pastor lives in the estate. Kidnappings used to happen before. But since the FCT minister brought more security personnel to the area, we have not seen any incidents of the Tuesday attack.
We were surprised when we heard gunshots. We started hearing gunshots by noon on Tuesday. They were trying to raid other houses in the estate when the joint security forces suddenly showed up.”
The FCT police command did not respond to our correspondent’s inquiries about the incident. Calls and messages to its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, remained unanswered as of the time this report was filed.Abuja
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