Kidnappers regroup in FCT communities

Fear gripped residents of Dnago, Zogye and Yenche communities in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over reported regrouping of kidnappers in some forests in the area. Abuja Metro had reported that residents of Bwari town in Bwari Area Council had also expressed similar fears after witnessing couples of attacks in recent […]

Fear gripped residents of Dnago, Zogye and Yenche communities in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over reported regrouping of kidnappers in some forests in the area.

Abuja Metro had reported that residents of Bwari town in Bwari Area Council had also expressed similar fears after witnessing couples of attacks in recent weeks.

Some residents of Kuje communities, who spoke with our correspondent on Monday, expressed fear that the bandits might have been regrouping around the area.

Mr Abeje Samuel, a resident of Dnago community, said he sighted some of the kidnappers wielding sophisticated weapons while on his way back from the farm, even as he said the kidnappers spared him.

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He said the kidnappers, who were in their large numbers, passed through a stream across a big valley, which connects the area with the neighbouring Yenche village.

Another resident, Jonathan Musa, said the kidnappers were also sighted between Zogye forest on Sunday, while moving towards neighbouring Leda village.

The local said he suspected that the hoodlums were regrouping at a new camp in a forest close to the area.

He said, “The kidnappers did not hurt or attempt to abduct anybody even though some people who went to the farm saw them. What we are thinking is that they are trying to look for a suitable camp around some forests in the area.”

Jonathan said he alerted the police from the Rubochi divisional headquarters, who mobilised to trail their movements.

A police officer at the division, who preferred anonymity, told our reporter that a team of policemen and vigilantes from Rubochi, mobilised to lay ambush around Dnago -Yenche forest after receiving a distress call from the two communities on the kidnappers’ movements into the area.

He said, “Actually, there was a distress call from Dnago village that some kidnappers were sighted around a forest in the area and we mobilised with the vigilantes to lay ambush but they escaped.”

The police officer said the kidnappers reportedly moved towards the Leda axis under Kwali Area Council upon getting information that the police and the vigilantes were trailing their movements.

It would be recalled that kidnappers, had last Wednesday, abducted four people including a female at Gwombe junction, along the Gwargwada -Rubochi road, killing two of them over the delay in paying ransom by the families.

A community leader from the area, who confirmed the incident to our reporter, said the two victims were from his community and that their corpses were yet to be recovered.

The spokeswoman for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, a superintendent, did not pick calls or reply to text messages sent to her over the development as at the time of filing the report.