Bandits kidnap 20 Abuja residents

By Innocent Raphael

Approximately 20 residents of Dawaki, a community near Kubwa in the Federal Capital Territory, were kidnapped by armed attackers on Sunday evening.

The assailants, reportedly numbering around 50, stormed houses on Frank Opara Street at about 7:30 PM. Tunde Abdulrahim, Chairman of the Dawaki Rock Heaven Community, described the chaos that ensued as the attackers broke into six homes.

Responding to distress calls, security operatives, led by Commissioner of Police Benneth Igweh, swiftly mobilized to the scene.

FCT police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, detailed the response in a statement released Monday.

“In an immediate and strategic response to a distress call on the attack by unknown gunmen in Dawaki on May 19, 2024, at about 11:30 PM, the operatives of the FCT Police Command, led by CP Igweh himself, swiftly mobilized to the scene,” the statement read.

The police, in collaboration with local hunters, launched a coordinated counter-attack, ambushing the kidnappers at Ushafa Hill near Bwari and Shishipe Hills near Mpape.

The ensuing gun battle overwhelmed the assailants, who fled with various degrees of bullet injuries, leaving the kidnapped residents behind.

One of the rescued victims remains hospitalized, while the police continue their search operations to rescue any remaining hostages who may have fled during the firefight.

Commissioner Igweh reaffirmed the command’s commitment to maintaining peace and security in the territory.