GUNMEN have attacked some residents of Gwarimpa estate, Abuja, in the early hours of today.
A resident of the area, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the attack to The ICIR, but did not have details at the time of filing in this report.
“There was an attack in the estate this morning, but I do not know what exactly happened,” she said.
According to a report, the gunmen showed up in large numbers armed with bows, arrows and machetes, and abducted an undisclosed number of residents during the attack
However, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Josephine Adeh, initially said it was not a case of abduction.
“The only situation was a burglary incident we recorded in Galadima around Queens Efab Estate. There was burglary and we quickly went there. We made some recoveries. Some phones and laptops were recovered.
“Nobody was kidnapped, nobody was injured,” Adeh said.
In a statement subsequently released by the the Command, the PPRO added that the attackers fled upon seeing the police, leaving behind the stolen items.
“The Command wishes to set the records straight that on the 6th of June 2022, a distress call was received from Queens Efab Estate, Karsana, Galadima Area, that there was an ongoing armed robbery operation.
“Operatives of the Command attached to Galadima Divisional Headquarters swiftly responded and upon arrival at the estate, the robbers took to their heels. The gallant operatives, however, gave them a chase, which led to them abandoning some items they had already stolen, including some phones and laptops,”
Nigeria’s capital territory has witnessed an upsurge in insecurity in recent times.
The Federal Capital Territory Director, Administration’s Security Services Department, Abdul-lateef Bello, told newsmen in Abuja last year that the security architecture of the territory had been overstretched.
The ICIR checks showed that 69 victims were abducted over a period of 11 months in 2021.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.