ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted two teenage sisters in the Guita community, Chikakore, Kubwa, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The kidnappers, numbering six, seized the girls, aged 16 and 14, on Sunday around 11:25 pm, escaping through the forests and hills despite the presence of military and Police patrols in the area.
This abduction occurs merely eight days after the Chikakore community lodged a protest at the office of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The community attributed the escalating cases of kidnapping to the deplorable state of the major road linking their locality.
A Police source confirmed the incident, revealing that the attackers took three children from a man, comprising two girls and one boy.
However, they released one boy and instructed him to inform his father to prepare a ₦30 million ransom for the release of the two abducted girls.
Notably, the gunmen altered their modus operandi, avoiding gunfire during the initial intrusion and choosing to shoot while departing.
The victims, clad in nightgowns, were not given time to dress for the cold, as the mother’s pleas were met with violence.
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The kidnapped girls’ father holds a prominent role in community security efforts and has contributed significantly to local initiatives.
The source said, “The gunmen have changed their approach, when they came; they didn’t shoot like before, but forced themselves inside. While they were forcing themselves inside, the owner of the house (a Calabar man) ran to the vigilante’s office, then, he ran to the commander’s house before the commander could call another person, and rush to his house, the gunmen were already gone.
“It was when they were going, they started shooting, unlike before that they would shoot before the operation and till the end.
“They took three of his children, two girls and one boy, but they went away with two and sent back one (the boy) from the bush that he should go and tell their father to prepare 30million naira for their ransom.
“When they were taken, the two girls (16 and 14 years) one of the girls was wearing night gown, the mother tried to plead with the gunmen to let her wear something for the cold, but instead they beat up the mother. She had no option than to just let the girls go the way they were under the cold.
“Before the police came to the scene, they were already gone. Some of the vigilante later traced them to the railway line, to the rocks but there was no trace anymore.
“The man that his daughters were kidnapped is a front liner security payment and he has made some several donations to the community.”
As the community reels from this horrifying event, the FCT Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, has been contacted for further details.
The incident underscores the urgent need for enhanced security measures and highlights the vulnerability of areas grappling with deteriorating infrastructure, potentially contributing to the surge in criminal activities.