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A Nation’s Capital Under Siege: Chronicles of kidnapping in Abuja, by Dr. Mohmood Tunde Hassan
Abuja, quintessential, prime and sprawling with modern infrastructure, is Nigeria’s national capital. It is one of the few cities, built from the ground up as a dedicated national capital.
Understandably, Nigerians hold and treat it with pride and a symbol of national unity. However, something has suddenly gone awfully wrong. Beneath its opulence and outwardly fortified profile is a cascading wave of terror and fear that has gripped and enveloped the city and its suburbs, shaking everything, everywhere, and everyone to the foundation.
In recent times and almost on a daily basis, Abuja has been experiencing a rash of violent kidnaps or abductions. Scores have been taken by merciless gun-trotting criminal elements from homes, on open roads, busy intersections, in markets, in schools, in broad daylight and under the cover of dark nights.
In one media account, it was reported that within a 96-hour, spanning between Thursday, January 4, and Sunday, January 7 (96 hours), a total of 85 persons were allegedly abducted. On Thursday alone, 22 people were said to have been kidnapped in Kawu village, Bwari Area Council, while on January 7, daredevil gunmen invaded Sagwari Layout Estate, Dutse, Abuja with sophisticated weapons and abducted at least ten persons.
No one is spared; children, youths, families, individuals returning or going to work and those on transit, traveling. Even, military zones, are besieged and the assumed safety of those fortified confinements, seemingly, breached as in the case of the military estate, attacked… January 18th, Kidnappers invaded the Army Estate, Kurudu, Phase 2 in Abuja at about 10 in the night. Though soldiers moved in to the scene, before they did, the kidnappers had snatched and gotten away with the victims.
Three people of one family, mother, daughter, and house help, were abducted in the behind military estate, located in Kurudu, in the suburbs of Abuja. The kidnappers were later reported to have demanded the sum of 30 million ransom to release the family members, including the wife of Barr. ADIKWU. A day before the Kurudu incident, some criminal elements had attacked residents in Kubwa and Dutse Alhaji areas of the FCT.
Residents of Dei-Dei, located off Kubwa-Zuba Road, under Bwari area council in Abuja, had a bitter dose of the harrowing encounter, following the abduction of over 23 persons in the community, taken from three housing estates in the area. Media reported that the kidnappers, said to be decked in military uniforms, arrived at the livestock layout area, located on the edge of the popular Abuja livestock market, Dei-Dei, about 8 pm and carried out their heinous operation.
Barely 48 hours after that Dei-dei incident, two children, alongside nine adults, were also whisked away at Gbaupe village, behind Aso Estate, along Airport Road in Abuja. A similar incident took place at the nearby Arab Road residential area, in Kubwa town, also along the highway, on Sunday, where seven residents were abducted by kidnappers believed to be sharing the same base in the bush, with that of the Dei-Dei operators. Recently, no fewer than 85 persons, comprising both travelers and residents, were also said to have been abducted by terrorists at Katari along the Kaduna – Abuja highways near Katari, in the Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
It was also gathered that more than four residents were killed by the hoodlums. Amidst this, an Abuja resident, identified as Abdullahi Sabo, was abducted as kidnappers opened fire a highway. Sabo was said to be heading home with his wife when the criminals intercepted the vehicle along Sabon Lugbe, Airport Road. This Electrical Engineering Student who just finished a program of study at the University of Abuja was found after she had gone missing only to be discovered to have been kidnapped by one chance criminals and thrown out of a moving vehicle. That’s how bad things have become.
READ ALSO: Abuja Kidnapping Crisis: A city in fear, families in despair
The domino effect of the ransom-seeking abductions has been panic and pain among the public. In all cases, the single biggest denominator in the apparently well-coordinated assaults is the demand for ransom in double-digit millions. To extract and extort ransom, the abductors inflict maximum harm on their victims as was reported in the Sangwari estate abduction in Dutse where the terrorists were feared to have killed three of the victims in their custody to send a strong warning to their relatives, negotiating ransom.
A 13-year-old high school student, identified as Folorunsho Ariyo, was reportedly among those killed. It was also gathered that in that particular incident, the kidnappers also increased their ransom demand of N60 million per person to N100 million, making it a total of N700 million. The victims were allegedly murdered over the delay in raising the ransom money.
Another brazen incident that has stirred national outrage was the abduction of six siblings from their father’s house in Bwari Council, Abuja, on December 26, 2023, along with their father, Mansoor Al-Kadriya. One of the daughters, Nabeeha, was murdered for failing to raise the ransom, leaving five alive. Family sources say she was getting ready for her convocation, having just graduated with 1st class in her course of study. In this footage, is the building where some of the victims were kidnapped. This tragic incident is just one among many.
The emerging scenario of abductions that have kept the federal capital under siege and the residents on edge is as alarming as it is unprecedented for a territory, once renowned for its relative tranquility and security. Dr. Peter Olumuji is a Specialist in Urban Security at Sting Secured Academy and doubles as the Secretary, Security Command and Control Center, FCTA. A check shows the territory had previously, in a three-year span, January 2021 to June 2023, had recorded close to 50 kidnap cases, involving over 200 persons. Among these were about 40 documented cases, affecting 236 victims. However, a recent account indicates that so far, in the last 7 months, Abuja has suffered 176 kidnap incidents. Another account claims that no fewer than 15 persons were reportedly kidnapped in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the first two weeks of 2024…that is averaging, one person per day.
The Commissioner of the Public Complaints Commission FCT, Dalhatu Ezekiel Musa, was also reported to have disclosed that 132 persons were kidnapped and 5 killed in 3 months in the FCT. To many residents and Nigerians at large, this chilling and blood-curdling scenario is unacceptable.
This is more so considered against the background of the negative profiling that placed Nigeria among the worst kidnapping nations of the world. According to a report by the Abuja-based security firm, Beacon Consulting, a total of 4,067 persons were abducted and 9,734 were killed by gunmen in Nigeria in 2023 alone. Dr. Kabir Adamu, one of Nigeria’s foremost internal security experts, is the lead Security Specialist for Beacon. Kidnapping and hostage taking became prevalent in Nigeria, starting from 1999 after the military handed over power to civilians. The Niger Delta militants exploited the political transition as an opportunity to renew and rave up pressure to get the government to address underlying grievances.
Consequently, from 31 incidents in 2013 with 351 kidnap victims rose to 84 incidents in 2014 with 897 victims. By 2015, it had risen to 111 incidents with 926 victims. 137 in 2016 with 347 victims, 141 in 2017 with 532 victims, 157 in 2018 with 1,014 victims, 331 in 2019 with 1,421 victims, 439 in 2020 with 2,879 victims, 590 in 2021 with 5,287 victims, 515. Data from SBM Intelligence revealed that the country recorded a slight decline in kidnap incidents in the three hotspots between June 2022 and July 2023, dropping to 3,620. Sadly, cases of kidnappings have now continued to surge.
Residents are uneasy and living in a state of constant anxiety, demanding immediate action from authorities to restore safety and protection of lives and property. In response to the deteriorating situation in the FCT, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olukayode Egbetokun, put up a Special Intervention Squad in the Territory, Abuja, to address the activities of kidnapping, kidnappers, and bandits, particularly in border towns within the territory. The squad has an operational and mission brief to oversee the patrolling and security of communities along the FCT’s borders, intervening to control and mitigate violent attacks in the nation’s capital.
The SIS consists of specially trained officers ready to intervene swiftly in significant security incidents, aligning with the mission priority to combat threats of violent crime. The IG, who assumed office in June 2023, declared that the establishment of the SIS is a primary project under his watch. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Sanusi leads the IR Team. While some see the formation of the SIS as a welcome move, others say there are far more effective ways to handle the surge in kidnapping and other sundry crimes in the FCT.
In an apparent quick win, the SIS, led by DC Mohammed Sanusi, 2 days after it was launched, picked up 3 alleged Abuja-based gun runners and 4 suspected kidnappers who terrorize the FCT and neighboring communities. In a verified Twitter page, the force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “arms and ammunition were recovered and that “the operations are still on with an assurance to brief Nigerians as the developments unfold.
Almost as if to bolster the winning streak in turning the table round and putting the heat on the kidnappers, came the cheering report of a string of successful rescue operations by the police and other security forces. Among these was the tracking and arrest of one Chinaza Phillips, alleged to be a notorious kidnapper, operating within Abuja metropolis. The said Chinaza was purportedly caught in the process of kidnapping a man, identified as Segun Akinyemi, taken from his residence in the FCDA Quarters in Garki 3 Abuja, January 17.
The Police Operatives in Kaduna had reportedly blocked the suspected kidnap vehicle and on sensing danger, the kidnappers opened fire. The police fired back and in the resultant exchange, nabbed Chinaza while three others, currently at large, are being trailed by the Police. The victim’s vehicle, 2 Ratey G17 Pistols, 1 Baretta Pistol, 9 PAK ammunitions and 5 special ammunitions, were recovered from the alleged kidnappers. Similarly, The FCT Police Command, announced the successful rescue of all of those kidnapped in Bwari by bandits on January 2, among them, the Al-Kadiriya family.
A joint security operation, comprising the military, police, and intelligence services, facilitated the freedom of the victims around Kajuru forest in Kaduna State. About 23 persons were abducted on January 2, 2024, in the Zuma 1 area of Kawu, in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja. The police confirmed that all the victims, including five sisters whose abduction, had raised nationwide concerns, were rescued at about 11 pm on Saturday, and had since been reunited with their families.
On January 26, Force HQ released what termed RECORDS of GROUNDBREAKING SUCCESSES of the IGP-SIS In it, it disclosed that in 2 Weeks, 139 Suspects were Arrested, 154 Kidnapped Victims Rescued 17 Arms and 604 Ammunition were Recovered Prominent among these successes, was the interception of a group of persons along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway who were major suppliers of arms and ammunition to bandits operating in Niger, Zamfara, and Kaduna States.
The Police disclosure also revealed that in the early hours of Friday 26th January 2024, men of the IGP-SIS engaged some armed bandits within the FCT-Kaduna axis in fierce gun battle, neutralizing 3 of them, including the gang leader, one Mai-Gemu (aka Gadoro). The Police concluded that the gang and its camp, were destroyed. The IGP-SIS operatives on the 21st of January 2024 arrested 2 major gun-running kingpins, alleged suppliers of locally fabricated arms and various types of ammunition to several assailants operating in the North-Central region of the country. Two other alleged kidnappers, were arrested in the Jikwoyi area of the FCT with several arms and ammunition, recovered from them after a gun battle which also led to the rescue of kidnapped victim.
Bandits terrorizing the FCT and neighboring states of Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Niger, are said to be camped in the Kajuru forest in the Southern Kaduna area, previously said to be used by the military to train its personnel but abandoned, making it a haven for the bad elements. The kidnap victims in this footage, were rescued in similar circumstance by these Nigerian Soldiers The mountainous terrain of the FCT is a challenge to present efforts. This footage was from one of the field operations of a team of security officials, combing an identified dark spot, used by kidnappers and other bad elements. The FCT Minister Nyesom Wike met with security agencies and other stakeholders to share ideas on how to address the degenerating security challenge and forestall the trend.
One of his concerns at that session was the implications crowd-funding by friends, colleagues, and families of kidnap victims to meet random demands. Defense Minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, had expressed similar concerns. At the meeting, Wike told security agencies to redouble efforts while Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun disclosed plans to replicate the Special Intervention Squad set up for Abuja in other States of the Federation. Amidst the stepped-up action by the police and other security operatives, some of the criminals seem defiant.
Take, for instance, the audacity of this suspect openly daring and threatening an arresting police officer even while cuffed to a police van. Some don’t bother
Written By Dr. Mohmood Tunde Hassan, in Abuja. mbhtunde@gmail.com
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