Gunmen in the early hours of Thursday, attacked Paze community around the Byazhin area of Kubwa in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), killing a local vigilante and abducting four residents, including a pastor.

The attackers, said to be about eight in number, reportedly shot dead a security guard, Shuaibu Yerima, who was engaged to protect the neighbourhood popularly known as “Back of Catholic Church.”

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

Abuja Metro reports that the latest attack occurred less than a week after bandits invaded the nearby Kungabokun community and abducted a resident on Sunday.

Speaking of the incident, Emmanuel Isaac, younger brother of one of the abducted victims, said he first noticed the attackers’ arrival shortly after midnight following a gunshot believed to have killed the security guard.

“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.

“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.

“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,” said Isaac, who had recently moved into a newly built house that was yet to be fully furnished.

Also speaking, Elizabeth Oriade, younger sister of the abducted pastor, said the gunmen gained access into their home through a window after failing to force open the door.

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

“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 she had spent about an hour searching for the house key on the night of the attack.

“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.

“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.

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

“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.

Residents said the slain vigilante was initially shot in the leg but bled to death due to delay in getting medical assistance.

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

Contacted, the FCT Police Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, promised to investigate the matter and revert but had not done so as at the time of filing this report yesterday.

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

A senior police officer at the Byazhin Divisional Headquarters, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident, adding that its men are on the trail of the kidnappers. (Daily Trust)

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