New Telegraph

How bandits raid Kubwa neighbourhoods

 The wave of insecurity in the country is gradually hitting some communities in the Federal Capital Territory as bandits now stroll into places like Kubwa to abduct residents for ransom. ONWUKA NZESHI reports

 

In the last seven years or more, Nigerians have grappled with the challenges of insecurity. While the Federal Government has continued to claim that it had degraded Boko Haram and decimated the bandits, Nigerians still live in fear. Many places that were hitherto safe and peaceful, have been experiencing unimaginable incidents of insecurity.

The Federal Capital Territory, which had been a safe haven for many families fleeing from the terrorists in the North East and the bandits in the North West, is now unsafe. There have been several incidents of armed robbery and abduction of persons in places such as Abaji, Kwali, Kuje, Tunga Majen and other communities on the fringes.

 

Lately, Kubwa, one of the largest satellite towns located in Bwari Area Council has come under attack as bandits stroll in and out of it to raid and abduct residents for ransom. Raid on Arab Road The latest incident which occurred on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, took the residents of Relocation Estate 2, along the Arab Road in Byazhin Quarters, by surprise.

According to an eye witness, some armed bandits stormed the area at night shooting sporadically to instil fear and confusion in the minds of their victims. In the process, they abducted seven persons including one Adenike, a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), while two persons were gunned down. The two wounded persons were rushed to the hospital but one of them gave up the ghost before medics could offer any help.

“Apart from the Youth Corper, we are looking for seven other resident’s. Nobody can sleep anymore. It was like a war zone the way they were shooting. Luckily two of those kidnapped escaped. That is how we knew seven persons were taken away,” a resident said. According to our source, the bandits gained entry into the area from the rocky mountains around the area.

Police response The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has said that it has commenced investigations into the incident. In a memo dated December 7, 2023 and marked: Ref No: AZ:2550/FCT/ PPRO/VOL.10/60, the police described what happened as a ” case of security breach occasioned by armed robbery, shooting and abduction of some persons.”

Commissioner of Police (CP) Babaji Sunday said that the Command had responded the swiftly, stressing that an aggressive manhunt was launched against the perpetrators, which resulted in the rescue of three (3) victims and the recovery of firearms and am-munition, including 1 AK47 Riffle, 25 Rounds of ammunition.

“Preliminary investigations however revealed that at about 1930hrs (7:30pm) of December 6, 2022, some armed criminals came into the Kubwa Relocation Estate, shot two victims, one Oshodi and another Abdulwahab (both other names unknown).

The suspects while departing the scene, left with four victims, possibly, to enable them evade arrest by the approaching Police response team deployed to the area on quick intervention.

The two gunshot victims were immediately rushed to the hospital for medical attention but unfortunately, one of them, Oshodi could not survive as he was confirmed dead by the Doctor, while Abdulwahab is still being attended to,” said the police. Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command has disclosed that it had deployed intelligence and other operational assets to fortify security in the entire Kubwa and its environs.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Josephine Adeh, said that investigations have since commenced to identify the suspects and bring them to book, while ascertaining their mission and motives. She urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious or untoward situation. through the dedicated phone lines.

Previous incidents

As reassuring as the police might sound over the latest incident, residents of the area can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed because these raid have become a recurring decimal. In February 2021, the bandits struck in the same Arab Road, Kubwa and abducted a journalist from his home.

They also attacked and robbed his neighbours and in the process, abducted the two sons of a widow. In May 2021, armed bandits kidnapped two people from their homes in Byazhin, Kubwa.

The gunmen who stormed the area around 11:45pm, came down from the adjoining rocky hills and raided the families in search of valuables and humans to abduct for ransom. Also, in March 2022, bandits numbering about twenty (20), stormed the Pipeline Extension area which on the other side of Arab Road and operated for about two hours unchallenged.

The heavily armed bandits robbed residents of their belongings as they went from door yo door, wounding and maiming those who had nothing to offer them. They however, met some resistance in the local vigilante guards in the area.

The strategy In the light of the foregoing, it is apparent that these gunmen from the hillside have perfected a strategy to prey upon the residents of Kubwa any time they so wish. Kubwa is surrounded by a range of rocky hills which should have ordinarily provided some form of protection for its inhabitants.

It is from these rocks that some construction firms mine granite and other solid minerals. These companies blast rocks on daily basis and have established quarries to process them. In addition to these companies, some churches hold special midnight prayers on the plateau of these high places, just as local hunters often go beyond the mountains to hunt for wild animals. It would appear that the armed bandits have managed to infiltrate the local population, hence they could strike at odd hours and abduct people without much hassles.

They know that the Police Stations are far from the rocks and even if security operatives receive any distress call, it would be difficult for them to respond swiftly. The area is largely unplanned, the roads unpaved and bumpy. The bandit’s may have resorted to using the

Read Previous

4,133 Ekiti residents benefit from FG’s cash grant loan

Read Next

Putting adorable touches to lives at Christmas

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *