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 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by suspected gunmen, during a stealth invasion that caught vigilance group and other security agencies unawares.

A source in the community disclosed Tuesday 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 people 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.

“The kidnapping incident occurred on Sunday at about 11pm. The kidnappers raided the village for about one hour without any response, reaction from the community or outsiders. 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 house to house. From the community they picked about 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,” the source said.

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