From Molly Kilete, Abuja
Gunmen Thursday, kidnapped 22 persons at Rafin-Daji community in Gurdi ward of Abaji Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The victims said to be mostly farmers were busy cultivating their farm land when the gunmen struck.
The gunmen who invaded the community at about 2 O’clock in the afternoon, destroyed two tractors belonging to the farmers.
Rafin Daji, is a boundary community Between Niger State and the FCT.
It was gathered that one of the farmers Saidu Yakubu, who escaped from the scene of the attack, said 13 family members, including two females, were working on separate farm lands when the bandits invaded the village. Saidu, who attributed his escape to God, said he ran for his life after the gunmen opened fire and shot sporadically.
“It was only God that saved me as I managed to escape when the bandits were shooting into the air,”
The district head of Gurdi Chiefdom, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, who confirmed the incident to journalists, however said he say the total number persons abducted by the bandits.
Mohammed who said he has since reported the matter to the police at Abaji, said his people have been living in fear as his community has been under siege by bandits who have continued to invade his chiefdom through Niger state.
Confirming the attacks and kidnap of the farmers, the acting public relations officer for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Oduniyi Omotayo, said police has commenced efforts to rescue the victims safe and alive and bring perpetrators to Justice.
Oduniyi, said the police have dispatched a combined team of police officers from various tactical and intelligence units of the command, hunters, vigilantes, hunters to the forest to rescue the victims alive.
According to him “The incidence happened in Rafin daji, a boundary community between Niger and the FCT . The farmers were on their farm land working when gun men outnumbered and kidnapped them, upon receipt of this information, a combined team of Police officers from various Tactical and intelligence units of the Command, Destiny Hunters, Vigilantes, and Local hunters stormed the forest, combing it aggressively even as I speak. For the rescue of the victims and to bring perpetrators to book. Monitoring and surveillance of the community also continues.”