A preacher only known as Ajàyí was kidnapped by bandits who broke into the El-Rufai Estate in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja.

 

According to eyewitnesses, the assailants arrived around midday and scared the locals with gunfire directed into the air.

 

As the criminals headed towards the pastor’s house, the mayhem stopped people from leaving their houses.

 

El-Ameen, a community member, spoke with Punch over the phone about the terrifying event.

 

“They invaded the estate at about noon on Tuesday. They started shooting into the air, and all the residents could not come out. This has not been reported. It happened in one of the estates called El-Rufai, roughly a few kilometres from the Nigerian Law School,” El-Ameen said.

 

He further said that the bandits’ superior weaponry soon overpowered the local vigilante squad.

 

“The pastor, who also worked with the education board, was specifically targeted and kidnapped from his house. The local vigilante group present in the estate was unable to match the firepower of the gunmen and was quickly overwhelmed,” El-Ameen stated.

 

El-Ameen said that when the troops arrived, the bandits were about to launch another raid on a different residence and had to retreat.

 

But by the time the soldiers arrived, he said, they had already taken the pastor.

 

When gunshots went out in the estate on Tuesday, residents were shocked, according to another resident named Danladi who saw the attack.

 

Danladi said, “It happened about two days ago. They didn’t injure anyone, but they abducted one person. They (the kidnappers) have not called the estate since the abduction.

 

“The pastor lives in the estate. Kidnappings used to happen before. But since the FCT minister brought more security personnel to the area, we have not seen any incidents of the Tuesday attack.

 

“We were surprised when we heard gunshots. We started hearing gunshots by noon on Tuesday. They were trying to raid other houses in the estate when the joint security forces suddenly showed up.”

 

The Bwari Area Council has had many kidnappings in recent months, which is concerning. This occurrence is a part of this pattern.

 

The kidnapping of six girls and their father from their house in December 2023 raised serious questions about the neighbourhood’s security.

 

The latest assault transpires despite FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s February 2024 promises that sufficient security measures were being put in place in Bwari and its environs.

 

To guarantee the protection of the populace and institutions, the minister announced the deployment of significant security troops based on information.