The escalation of insecurity in Abuja reared its ugly head again on Sunday evening as bandits invaded Sagwari Layout Estate in Dutse, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory FCT in Bwari Area Council.
The gunmen took eight residents and then proceeded to abduct two staff members of a nearby hotel.
According to Vanguard newspaper, the incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m.
The victims were said to have been shepherded to the nearby hills behind the estate.
An eyewitness said efforts by some security personnel and the estate security to go after the kidnappers were fiercely resisted by the bandits, who had superior firepower and were firing from vantage positions atop the hills.
The FCT Police Command had at the weekend assured residents of Abuja, particularly those living in Ushafa, Bwari, and environs, of their safety as additional police personnel have been deployed to ensure that security threats are nipped in the bud.
Ushafa is just about five minutes from the estate in Dutse.
Recall that on December 24, bandits invaded the Garam community, which is a five-minute drive from Bwari in the FCT, killing a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God and kidnapped 13 other persons.
On December 28, bandits again invaded Kuduru in FCT, kidnapping 18 persons.
Similarly, on Friday, December 29, bandits invaded Azu in Niger State, killing three people and kidnapping eight others.
A recent report by a national newspaper indicates that bandits killed 36 people and kidnapped over 300 persons in Abuja alone in 2023.
