Panic As Suspected Bandits Kill Guard, Abduct Pastor, Others In Abuja Community

Gunmen, suspected to be bandits in the early hours of Thursday, reportedly attacked the Paze community around the Byazhin area of Kubwa in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, killing a local vigilante and abducting four residents, including a pastor and an 11-year-old boy.

The attackers, said to be about eight in number, reportedly stormed the neighbourhood popularly known as “Back of Catholic Church” shortly after midnight.

Naija News learnt that the assailants shot dead a security guard identified as Shuaibu Yerima, who was engaged to protect the area.

The gunmen also abducted Pastor Francis Oriade of the All Christian Fellowship Mission, Maitama, Abuja; Jewel Obeh; Friday Isaac; and an 11-year-old boy, Delight Okeke.

The incident occurred less than a week after bandits invaded the nearby Kungabokun community and abducted a resident on Sunday, heightening fears among residents of the area.

Speaking to Daily Trust about the attack, Emmanuel Isaac, younger brother of one of the abducted victims, said he first noticed the arrival of the gunmen after hearing a gunshot, which was believed to have killed the local security guard.

He said the attackers later entered their compound, with some of them carrying guns, while another member of the gang appeared to be the leader.

“We then saw them coming into our premises, with about four of them bearing guns. Another member of the gang that seemed to be leading them was wearing a mask on his face. We attempted to escape through a back door, only to be rounded up and asked to move back inside the house,” he said.

Isaac said the gunmen tied his hands and that of his elder brother before deciding who to take away.

“They tied my hands and that of my elder brother before directing me to go with them. But my brother pleaded with them to rather go with him, which they agreed to,” he added.

He said police officers arrived in the area shortly after the kidnappers left.

“About 10 minutes after they left, policemen arrived in the neighbourhood with an armoured van and a Sienna car.

“We pleaded with the police to trail the kidnappers, pointing toward the direction they went but they said no, that they preferred to go through a different direction,” Isaac said.

Pastor Dragged From Room, Sister Says

Also speaking, Elizabeth Oriade, younger sister of the abducted pastor, said the gunmen forced their way into the house through a window after failing to break the door.

She said the family became aware of the attack after hearing gunshots around midnight, adding that the gunmen entered their home about 20 minutes later.

“We noticed their presence following some gun shooting around 12am, and they invaded our homes about 20 minutes later,” she said.

According to her, the attackers traced them to the toilet and later dragged the pastor from his room.

“They traced us to the toilet, dragged the pastor from his room, while slapping him in the process as, according to them, he made them suffer much for not opening his room’s door immediately.

“They tore one of our wrappers and tied our hands with it, seized our mobile phones, and also took some cash before taking him away,” she narrated.

Mrs Joy Alex, whose husband, Jewel Obeh, was among those abducted, said the gunmen broke into their home shortly after the family returned from their shop.

She said she had spent more than an hour searching for the house key before eventually returning home with her husband and daughter.

“I stayed till about 11pm at the family shop located by the roadside in our neighbourhood, on that fateful night, searching for the house key for more than an hour. I then advised my husband to go and lodge in a hotel before my daughter eventually found the key,” she said.

She added that the attackers arrived about an hour after they returned home.

“Just about an hour after returning back home, we noticed the arrival of the gunmen. They pulled out a window attached to the house using tools like a digger.

“Two of them jumped in and directed us to open our door. Initially they wanted to take away my daughter, before they decided to leave with my husband alone,” she lamented.

11-year-old Taken After Mother Pleads

The mother of the abducted 11-year-old boy, Erenta Okeke, said the gunmen entered her home through a window and demanded money while pointing a gun at her head.

She said her husband was not at home when the attackers invaded the house.

“My husband was not around at the time, so they decided to abduct my little son after pleading with them to spare his younger sister, who was shivering throughout the period of the operation,” she recounted.

The attack has left residents of the community in fear, with many calling for urgent security intervention to prevent further attacks in the area.

Residents said the slain vigilante was first shot in the leg but later bled to death due to a delay in getting medical attention.

He was buried on Thursday after funeral prayers were held at the palace of the chief of Ijayapi, also located within the Byazhin community.

According to the media platform, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, when contacted promised to investigate the incident and revert, but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

At the Byazhin Police Division, officers were seen holding a meeting with some members of the affected community when a reporter visited the area.

A senior police officer at the Byazhin Divisional Headquarters, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident, saying operatives were already on the trail of the kidnappers.