How Gunmen Abducted Lawyer’s Family From Army Estate In Abuja
Three persons have been abducted from an estate behind the Nigerian Army Post-Service Housing Scheme in Kurudu Estate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the latest in the kidnapping scourge that has hit the area.
The Director of Army Public Relations Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu confirmed that the incident happened in the estate at about 9.00 p.m. on Thursday.
According to residents of the estate, gunmen fired gunshots before escaping with their victims.
However, Brigadier General Nwachukwu told Channels Television that troops have responded to a distress call from the estate and are currently on a search and rescue operation.
Kurudu is one of the communities on the border between the FCT and Nasarawa State and is located in the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
One of the witnesses who confirmed the incident to Newsmen noted that the wife of the lawyer was abducted was one of those abducted.
He said; “I drove home, and on getting to my estate at about 9 pm (Army Post Housing Scheme in Kurudu), I heard gunshots. In my mind, I wondered, ‘Christmas never finish wey them de throw knockout’. But it turned out that kidnappers were operating in one of the homes in the hilltop areas of the estate.
“I opened my phone to a warning from the estate management alerting all residents to remain indoors. “Apparently, the wife of a resident who is a lawyer was abducted.”
“We thank God for mercy because I drove right past when the crime was being perpetrated with heavy gunshots,” he added.
The development is the latest in the spate of kidnappings and other security challenges that have continued to rock the nation’s seat of power in recent times. The FCT Minister Nyesom Wike had met with security agencies and other stakeholders in the area to forestall the trend.
In the meeting, Wike told security agencies to redouble their efforts. The Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun had also set up the Special Intervention Squad to fight the rising crime rate in Abuja.
At the event in Abuja, the police chief said the team comprised specially trained mobile police officers. According to him, it will give rapid response to the security breaches in the FCT.
While noting that the squad will engage in massive community policing, Egbetokun assured Nigerians that the newly launched Special Intervention Squad will be replicated in neighboring states to address the challenge of insecurity.
Kidnappings are one of the many security challenges facing President Bola Tinubu’s government.
