Gunmen Kidnap 13 at Bwari, Demand N900m Ransom

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Thirteen persons have been kidnapped from Piko, a remote community in Bwari Area Council of Abuja, by suspected gunmen during a stealth invasion of the community that caught vigilance group and other security agencies unawares.

A source at the community disclosed yesterday that the Maidakin of the community, Chief John Jatau, confirmed that 10 residents were kidnapped, including four nomadic Fulani herdsmen. However, one of the nomads escaped from the kidnappers’ custody.

He listed the following as those kidnapped and still in the captivity of the abductors: Nuhu Anyiwoyi, Emmanuel Nuhu, Danjuma Ali, Parisa Numa, Ezekiel Jatau, Shekwosa Ezekiel, Roseline Samuel, Salome Jacob, Abyelo Ezr, and Ezra Male.

It was also gathered that the kidnappers have placed N900 million ransom on the victims.

He said: “The kidnapping incident occurred last Sunday at about 11p.m. 

The kidnappers raided the village for about one hour without any response or reaction from the community or outsiders, and the major challenge the community faced last night in terms of communication to others was as a result of no telecommunication network in the village, so they picked people from house to house, kidnaping 13 people and later released three.

“The Madakin Piko informed me that they have called and they said they need the ransom of N900 million. They picked about four Fulani people and one of them is released.”

When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, neither confirmed nor refuted the kidnap incident.