Terrorists gang have invaded the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Abuja on Friday morning and wreaked havoc, before kidnapping scores of farmers,13 members of one family and other residents.
The terrorists were said to have operated for lengthy hours as they destroyed houses, burnt down two tractors and fled with their victims at Rafin-Daji Community, Gurdi Ward of Abaji, Area Council of Abuja.
Rafin-Daji is a boarder community with Zago Community in Niger State. Both communities are connected through river Gurara.
A farmer and an escapee of the attack, Saidu Yakubu, said the incident happened around 2pm of the early hours of Friday
According to him, the killers were wielding AK -47 rifles with which they attacked the farmers that were cultivating their lands in the community.
Yakubu explained that the bandits shot sporadically into the air before whisking away the farmers and burning down two tractors on a large farm land in the community.
He disclosed that 13 family members were among the 22 abducted victims.
He gave the names of the family members as, “Ismaila Barde, Mustapha Barde, Nasiru Barde, Abdulkarim Barde, Sanusi Barde, Usman, Barde, Nura Barde, Abdullahi Barde, Babawo Barde, Farida Ayuba, Hauwa Ayuba and Hussaini Abdullahi.”
According to him, the 13 family members, including two females, were working on separate farm lands when the terrorists pounced on them.
“It was only God that saved me as I managed to escape when the bandits were shooting into the air,” he said.
The District Head, Gurdi Chiefdom, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, confirmed the abduction of farmers and burning of the tractors adding that he was yet to ascertain the number of the abducted farmers.
The district head said his people were under siege as bandits usually invade his chiefdom through Niger State.
Bala said he has reported the latest kidnap incident to the police, stressing that the authorities of Abaji Area Council have been notified.
The spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory, Police Command, ASP Oduniyi Omotayo, confirmed the attack of the terrorists and said efforts are ongoing to rescue the victims while assuring that the perpetrators would be bring to book.
“Upon receipt of the information, a combined team of police officers from various tactical and intelligence units of the command, hunters, vigilantes, hunters stormed the forest and combed it aggressively,” he said.
He said the security agencies are monitoring and have taken surveillance of the community, which he stated that are ongoing.