THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has confirmed an attack by gunmen on Grow Homes Estate in the Kubwa neighbourhood in Abuja.
Residents said about 20 armed men stormed the estate on the night of Friday, March 10, ransacked homes and whisked some victims to an unknown destination.
Reports quoted a resident, who pleaded anonymity, as saying the heavily-armed assailants fired shots, which caused panic among the estate’s occupants and other residents in the neighbourhood.
The marauders moved from one apartment to another, pillaging belongings as many as they could carry.
Among the abductees are children and women.
The residents said, “They escaped through the bush, which linked the community to Paze village. The police and the estate security have been searching the bush since morning to see if they can rescue the kidnapped residents.”
Vanguard reported the FCT Police Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, a superintendent of police, as confirming the attack.
Adeh said the police in the area were combing the bush for the attackers and the abductees.
“Upon receipt of the distress call, we immediately deployed our men to the scene. The suspects, however, abruptly suspended their operations and took some victims with them into the bush.
“Operatives of the police and the estate security are still combing the bushes in the area to ensure they are rescued unhurt,” she said.
She appealed for calm among the residents and called on the city’s residents to help the police with information that could help prevent crime and apprehend criminals.
In December 2022, The ICIR reported how concerns over insecurity in Abuja had heightened since Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) members blew up the Kuje medium correctional facility on July 5, freeing all 64 suspected terrorists and over 800 other inmates.
Though the fear of insurgent attacks has subsided in the city, armed robbers, car thieves, burglars, ‘one chance operators’ and other criminals have continued to unleash mayhem on residents.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org