The rising insecurity in Abuja, particularly daily kidnapping incidents in some areas, is fuelling fear among residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On Friday, a resident told FIJ that Nigeria’s capital has become a hotspot for daily kidnappings and security officers seem to have abandoned them to their fate.
He said, “Kidnapping is taking place in almost every village in Abuja. And it’s underreported. Everyone is even tired of it all.”
READ ALSO: Police Say No Manpower to Combat Kidnappings in Abuja Community
In the early hours of Tuesday, armed men kidnapped a mother and her child in the Aco area of Lugbe. The criminals also killed a yet-to-be-identified local security guard in the area.
Another resident, who does not want to be named, told FIJ that the incident happened around 2:30 am. Although he could not confirm whether the kidnappers had contacted the family of the abductees or whether the police had been notified, he said the gunmen came with guns and cutlasses.
He also disclosed that the kidnappers seemed to have arrived at the location of the incident through the mountains in the area.
“The day after the thing happened, we heard that they had killed a security man and that they kidnapped one woman with her child. There are a lot of mountains in the area, so it seems they penetrated through the mountains,” the resident tod FIJ on Friday.
“The kidnappers would be up to 20 in number. They carried guns and cutlasses, and they did not cover their faces,” he added.
READ ALSO: ‘Sell Your Bus to Raise Ransom’ — Kidnappers Advise Abuja Resident After Taking His Daughters
Tuesday’s kidnapping happened four weeks after the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command discovered a kidnappers’ hideout in the Sauka area of Abuja.
The Police arrested four suspected kidnappers — Yau Sani, also known as Baba; Nuhu, also known as Giwa; Kabiru Mohammed and Yusuf Hassan — at the hideout on October 1. One of the kidnappers was an ex-convict.
“These gang members have attacked Dakwa, Dawaki, Aco Estate, Dupe Village Zuma Rock, Kuchiko Village and some villages in Niger and Kaduna,” the police stated.
FIJ has documented numerous reports of kidnapping incidents across various parts of Abuja. In 2023, gunmen who appeared like armed robbers kidnapped more than 10 residents of an estate.
Another report detailed how residents lived in fear due to insecurity and how kidnappers struck Kubwa, Abuja, despite efforts by residents to improve security.
In February 2024, kidnappers told a resident to sell his bus to raise ransom for his abducted daughters. Also, in February, a report by SBM Intelligence, a security intelligence gathering and strategic consulting firm, revealed that the increased kidnapping cases had turned the FCT into an economic nightmare.
Months later, the situation remains the same. In October, the House of Representatives summoned Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, and other stakeholders to address the worsening security situation in Abuja.
When FIJ called SP Josephine Adeh, the FCT police spokesperson, on Friday morning for comments, her phone number was busy. She had also not responded to messages sent via SMS and WhatsApp at press time.
Abimbola Abatta is a reporter with FIJ, writing reports in partnership with Report for the World which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.
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