Abuja estate residents live in fear over frequent attacks by kidnappers

On the night of 21 April, Oliver was brutally killed at Leisure Court Estate in the Sabon Lugbe area of Abuja, where he worked as a gateman. His bullet-riddled body was recovered the following morning by the residents.

“He saw the kidnappers attempting to enter a building, and he shot at them. Unknown to him, others were behind him. They shot him from the back,” Kayode Imole, a resident of the estate, told PREMIUM TIMES.

A security man in the estate, who pleaded anonymity, said Oliver stood no chance against the invaders because he was armed with a locally-made gun with one bullet. “After firing the bullet, there was nothing else to do,” he lamented.

Not first time

The incident was not the first this year in the beautiful estate surrounded by a bush. But it was the first in which a person was killed.

According to a resident, the same night the security man was killed, a woman and her daughter were kidnapped. Two young girls and an adult were also kidnapped10 days later on 30 April.

As in other cases of kidnapping recorded in the estate, the woman and her daughter were released by their abductors after the payment of ransom.

In the first incident this year, recorded on 15 January, a resident of the estate, Olaitan Tayo (not real name), was kidnapped while returning from work at about 10.15 a.m.

That night, four men with AK-47 guns ambushed Mr Tayo as he drove home in his blue Lexus ES SUV. They fired repeatedly at his car, dragged him out of it and marched him into the bush, leaving the vehicle behind.

Narrating his ordeal to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Tayo said he and the kidnappers trekked in the bush until 5 a.m. when they arrived at a cave close to a military checkpoint around Kuje.

“Before I got to that spot that night, they attempted to stop two cars. Olanrewaju (whose family members were later kidnapped in their home) was driving one of the cars, but he was able to escape. They were shooting at my car; I thought they were security men at first. One of the bullets went through the roof of my car,” Mr Tayo narrated.

“My car eventually stopped after a bullet hit the engine, but they continued to shoot at the tyres. They marched me into the bush, and we trekked for over seven hours till we got to the cave around five in the morning.

“I was the only one with them in the cave, and I tried to negotiate with them. They did not assault me. We saw some herders passing with cows from the cave, but they couldn’t see us to tell you how thick the bush was. The cave is just a 15-minute drive from the military checkpoint.”

Mr Tayo said his kidnappers demanded N50 million as ransom but later accepted N15 million. “My friends and family raised the money,” he stated.

Mr Olanrewaju, who escaped the night Mr Tayo was kidnapped, was attacked in his house on 1 May. The kidnappers took away his 10-year-old daughter, another 15-year-old girl and a friend of his staying with him after arriving in Abuja to take a new job with an NGO. Mr Olanrewaju said that the friend was to assume duty the following day.

“We were inside around 10:30 p.m. when they attempted to break the gate. I used the walkie-talkie provided to communicate with the residents and guards, but no one could come. They (kidnappers) cut the electric wire and entered the gate. They couldn’t open our door, so they started breaking the window.

“I opened the door because I thought if they got angry, they would shoot and kill. I opened the door and prostrated immediately. But they told me to stand up and asked for my family.”

Mr Olanrewaju said the kidnappers took away his phone and later used it to demand ransom for the release of his family members. “Currently, I am gathering the money. I want to sell my cars and house,” he said.

According to a resident, the kidnappers consistently increased in number each time they attacked the estate.

They were four, with two of them carrying guns, when they struck in January. But when they returned in April, there were six of them, four of them bearing arms. On their 1 May visit, there were eight with all welding guns.

Ransom payment

PREMIUM TIMES they learnt that residents have paid over N30 million to secure the release of kidnap victims since January.

Police response

Following the 21 April bloody attack, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police, Beneath Igweh, led some officers to the estate.

After combing the bush around the estate for about three hours, the police officers returned with two individuals who they paraded as suspects.

But ten days after the visit of the police, the kidnappers struck again and went away with three persons from the estate. Residents said the police did not respond to the latest incident.

Some residents complained that the police and the estate management also did not want the incidents reported in the media.

“We wanted to invite the press after the last attack, but the management told us not to,” a resident said, who also preferred anonymity to avoid victimisation.

The FCT police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, did not respond to several calls and messages this reporter sent to her mobile telephone on the incidents at Leisure Court Estate.

Fear

The constant attacks have left the residents feeling insecure. Some said they were considering relocating from the estate.

“I just moved, and I have advised my friend to do the same,” a house owner in the estate, Mr Raphael, told this reporter.

However, for many residents, the decision to move house is complex in Abuja.

“Where will I go? I bought this house to stop wandering around,” Mr Imole said.

N2.5 million service charge

Some residents said the estate is porous to attack because it has no fence. They blame the management for their vulnerability to attacks.

This newspaper learnt that residents paid N2.5 million to the estate management as an “infrastructure/service fee” for electricity, security, perimeter fencing, road and other provisions. Yet, they still need to make individual arrangements for security.

“Except for Phase 1, other areas do not have gates. Phase 4 is the biggest, but the gate has been abandoned for over a year. There is no fence or security outpost.

“Also, look at our gate in Phase 1 here. We requested removing the bamboo, but it has not been completed since then.”

Another resident, Joseph Sunny, urged the police to allow security guards in the estate to be properly armed.

“How can you with a local gun face someone with AK 47 or AK 49?” he said.

Estate management reacts

Just before the reporter filed this report, a member of the estate management, who gave his name only as Mr Dimeji, told PREMIUM TIMES on the phone that the police had deployed some officers to the estate. At the same time, the residents have hired more security guards.

The residents hope those steps will check the attacks on their beautiful estate.