Residents of Grow Home Estate in Kubwa, Abuja, are no longer at ease following the kidnappings that have taken place in the estate this year.

Earlier in March, FIJ reported how gunmen who appeared like armed robbers stormed the estate on a Friday evening, stole some valuables and kidnapped 15 residents.

On October 26, more than seven months after the incident, armed men attacked the estate again and kidnapped three residents from two different apartments in the estate.

READ ALSO: Gunmen Who Appeared Like Armed Robbers Kidnap 15 Residents of Abuja Estate

A source, who does not want to be named, told FIJ that the gunmen took the residents away after breaking down the fence to gain entry to the compound.

FIJ learned that immediately some of the survivors of the first incident in March were released after spending about N12 million on ransom, they vacated the estate.

FIJ also gathered that the estate owner donated a Sienna minivan to the police to improve their mobility and also increased the number of security guards in the estate, but these measures failed to prevent another attack.

Speaking on the recent kidnapping incident, the source said, “These guys (kidnappers) came prepared with solid guns. They shot, entered the estate, bore a hole [in the fence], broke the fence and entered the compound.

“The estate residents have security doors, but the gunmen shattered the doors. Even the bathroom has security doors, but they destroyed it, entered and picked him up.

“While they (the gunmen) were there, one of the security guards in the estate pointed a torch at a very long range, like more than 100 metres away. They shot his hand and shattered it.”

The source told FIJ that the gunmen kidnapped a banker identified as Austin and his wife that Thursday night, adding that “they went to another flat to pick another guy before they left”.

“They weakened the security system there, honestly,” he said. “The police couldn’t do anything because of the power of those guys’ guns. I don’t know why this estate is being attacked.”

READ ALSO: Teenage Boy ‘Saves’ Abuja Residents From Nighttime Kidnappers

WHAT IS GOING ON IN KUBWA?

FIJ understands that Kubwa, the Abuja residential district where Grow Home Estate is located, is now synonymous with kidnapping due to the alarming rate of abductions.

In the last few years, several kidnappings have been reported in the area. Gunmen killed two residents and abducted eight others in December 2022.

The source, who spoke with FIJ, said gunmen also shot a resident known as Wale, who lived about two kilometres away from Grow Home Estate, on October 12.

FIJ learned that Wale died after raising the alarm when gunmen arrived at his house and opened fire around 11:30 pm.

“The gunmen came to their house, and they started shooting around 11:30 pm. When he saw the whole thing, he screamed so that a vigilante could come to his rescue.

“These guys shot his eyes and killed Wale. Afterwards, they went to his neighbour’s house and abducted the neighbour and they left.”

While bemoaning the security situation in Kubwa, the source said those who had been abducted along the axis were more than 30.

“It’s like almost a monthly thing now in Abuja,” he told FIJ.

FIJ could not reach Josephine Adeh, the police spokesperson of the Federal capital Territory (FCT), because she did not take her calls or respond to the text message sent.

Abimbola Abatta is a reporter with FIJ writing reports in partnership with Report for the World which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.