• Monday, December 23, 2024
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Despite security presence, gunmen abduct two girls in Abuja community

The deepening despair of Nigeria’s North-West amidst failed security strategies

Despite the presence of military personnel and police patrols, two teenage sisters, aged 14 and 16, were kidnapped by gunmen in the Guita community of Chikakore, located in Kubwa, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

This abduction is coming just eight days after residents of the Chikakore community expressed their grievances to Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) protesting the deplorable state of the major road linking their community.

They linked the deteriorating road conditions to a surge in serial kidnappings in the area.

The kidnappers struck last Sunday at around 11:25 pm. The gunmen, numbering six, forcibly took the two girls through the dense forests and hills surrounding the community, it was learnt.

A police source in the area confirmed the abduction, revealing that the attackers targeted three children of a local resident, taking two girls and leaving behind a boy. The assailants instructed the boy to inform his father that a ransom of N30 million was required for the safe return of the kidnapped girls.

“The gunmen modified their approach, refraining from gunfire during the initial intrusion”, he stated.

When contacted for a statement, Josephine Adeh, the FCT police spokesperson, assured that the details of the incident would be investigated and provided at a later time.

The victim’s father, a prominent security figure in the community, sought help from local vigilantes, but the assailants had already fled the scene.

The mother of the abducted girls attempted to plead with the kidnappers to allow her daughters to dress appropriately for the cold weather, but her pleas were met with violence. The girls were taken away wearing only their nightgowns.

Despite efforts by vigilantes to trace the kidnappers to the railway line and rocks, no leads were found.

The distraught father, known for his significant contributions to community security, now faces the daunting task of raising the demanded N30 million ransom.

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