No fewer than 20 armed bandits attacked Chikakore community in Kubwa, within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Sunday night, abducting five residents, including an entire family.
The attackers reportedly stormed the Health Centre extension area of Chikakore around 11 pm, breaking into the homes of their victims. Among those kidnapped were a Southwesterner, Adesiyan Akinropo, his wife, son, and a visiting guest. A neighbor was also abducted, bringing the total number of kidnapped persons to five.
“They kidnapped the man (Akinropo), his wife and his son, their visitor. The bandits then took away another neighbour to make five persons. The bandits also injured a woman on the head, with the butt of the gun. She bled profusely and had to be rushed to the hospital. The police operatives from the Byzahin division later came to the area but the assailants had escaped,” a police source disclosed.
It was gathered that the police and community leaders scheduled a meeting for Monday to address the attack.
One resident expressed frustration over the delayed response by the police. “The bandits have resumed attacks in Chikakore. We need a police division here in this community. We have land and a five-bedroom apartment already built to accommodate the police but there is no deployment yet. In the Sunday incident, the policemen came one and a half hours after the bandits had escaped with their victims,” she lamented.
Efforts to reach the FCT police command for comments were unsuccessful, as the spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, did not respond to calls.
Chikakore, situated just five kilometers from Kuchibuyi, had previously experienced bandit-related incidents.
In January, bandits fleeing from Kankara Local Government Area in Katsina State detonated explosives in the area, leading to a tragic explosion at an Islamic school in Kuchibuyi, located in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja. That incident claimed at least two lives, according to police reports.
