Bandits continue invading FCT communities, abduct siblings of council chairman in Abuja

Two siblings of the Chairman of the Bwari in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, John Gabaya, were among the scores of residents kidnapped by bandits who invaded some communities in the area council.

According to reports, the bandits have reached across to some of the affected families, demanding millions of naira as ransom.

On January 4, 2024, the bandits attacked some communities around the area and kidnapped an undisclosed number of residents.

They were said to have stormed the communities and attacked residents unhindered a few days after a series of attacks on Garam, a community that shares a boundary with Bwari in FCT.

The hoodlums also extended the attack to Zuma in neighbouring Niger State.

Among the abducted residents in the attack were two brothers of Hon. Gabaya, a police source told SaharaReporters.

He said, “No place is safe again, especially those living in border FCT communities with other states. The rich are also afraid now. Two brothers of the Bwari Area Council Chairman were among the victims of the penultimate Wednesday’s attack and abduction.

“The hoodlums are already demanding millions in ransom to free them. Those low-value targets are the ones that had escaped and returned home.”

When contacted, the Council Chairman said he could not confirm or deny it, “because I cannot communicate with a person on the phone that I don’t know because I don’t even know whether I’m even speaking with the kidnapper. So, those issues are sensitive issues that I cannot discuss on the telephone.”

He revealed that because of the worsening security in the council, a meeting with chiefs and other stakeholders would be held on Wednesday at the Council Headquarters.

“We have a security meeting by 10 am with the chiefs and other stakeholders. The issue of kidnapping incident is one where the office of the Minister (FCT) has helped seriously on. The troops of the Nigerian Army, police, and every other security agency have surrounded all of Bwari, and they are helping.

“With the help of security that was given to us in Bwari, so many have escaped from the captivity. I think this is the only information I will be able to give you now.”