Around 50 suspected terrorists, dressed in military uniforms, invaded the Dawaki community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, abducting at least 20 people, as reported by Daily Trust.
Dawaki, a densely populated area housing thousands of workers in the FCT, is situated opposite Gwarinpa Estate, the largest organized single settlement in Nigeria, along the Abuja-Kubwa Expressway.
The attack occurred around 7:30 PM on Sunday, lasting until approximately 8:30 PM. The assailants, believed to be bandits, were armed with various weapons.
This incident followed a recent kidnapping in Shagari Quarters, Dei-Dei, about five kilometers away on the same expressway, where a Customs officer’s family was abducted.
Hosea Christopher, a Dawaki resident, reported that the bandits abducted 17 people from three houses and a street near Fulani Junction.
However, five of the abductees managed to escape while being taken towards a mountain on the outskirts of the area.
The terrorists were later confronted by DSS operatives near a forest around the Usuma Dam.
“They immediately opened fire on the security men but there was corresponding response. Despite the fierce offensive by the DSS operatives, the bandits were able to escape,” he was quoted by Daily Trust.
Other sources said more than 20 people were abducted.
READ ALSO: Terrorists Invade Abuja Community, Kidnap 5
Abel James, a resident who escaped abduction, said, the attackers “Wore uniforms and had face masks.”
According to him, “But I doubted their genuineness when they started shooting sporadically. As they moved towards the community, I headed into a house under construction and climbed upstairs from where I kept looking at their operation, with gunshots as they were leaving towards the hill.
“We later learnt that two of the gunmen were captured by the security men that included DSS and soldiers who joined them later around the Usuma Dam, where the fire exchange took place.”
A local community figure in the vicinity reported that the majority of vehicles parked near Fulani Junction had been struck by bullets.
The Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Benneth Igweh, also affirmed the occurrence on Monday.
He disclosed that he personally oversaw the rescue mission on Sunday in the vicinity of Ushafa-Shishipe, spanning across the Mpape hills.
This initiative was prompted by a distress signal following an assault by armed assailants on residents of Dawaki.
“We advanced towards the assailants, tactically ambushing them at Ushafa Hill via Bwari down to Shishipe, resulting in a fierce gun battle with the hoodlums, which forced them to flee with bullet wounds and we rescued some of the abducted victims,” he said.
Igweh further said that the rescued victims were in the hospital receiving medical attention.#Terrorists
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