There was tension on Monday night when gunmen stormed Bmuko, a community at Dutse Baupma in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and kidnapped four residents.
Eyewitnesses recounted the harrowing experience, with one resident, Isah, describing how the assailants, numbering more than 30, invaded the community around 11:50 pm. They targeted the residence of Engineer Patrick, seizing his wife and brother along with two other individuals.
Isah narrated, “From the engineer’s house, after carrying his wife and brother, they divided themselves into two groups. One group went towards the riverside that leads to Kubwa and Bwari, while the other group went towards the hillside.
“It was the group going towards the hillside that stopped at a nearby house, where they kidnapped a Pastor and another young man. We could not do anything, we were scared to death during the period of the operation”.
Community leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the attack was swift and terrifying. The sound of gunfire alerted them minutes before midnight, prompting a frantic call for help.
Despite the swift response from security personnel and intervention from the FCDA Police station, the kidnappers escaped with their captives.
He said: “Swiftly, our security personnel came down, we had to make calls to the FCDA Police station, luckily we had intervention from them, and soldiers also came to our rescue. However, the whole thing turned to something else, as nobody was arrested.
“But the kidnappers went with three or four people. As we speak, the soldiers that went in search of them have returned without rescuing them. The policemen are still in the bush searching for them.
“We have been demanding for Police outpost here in the Bmuko community, this is a populated environment. Whatever is happening here is not out of the knowledge of the security architecture of the FCT”.
“The wife and brother of one Engineer Patrick were also among the people that were kidnapped, and also a Pastor. The kidnappers came with AK47, because some of the guys during the night search picked up about two or three bullets of AK47,” he said.