In the wee hours of Friday, armed bandits broke into the house of a resident identified as Yellow in the Bakassi area of Suleja, Niger State, and abducted his guest and a neighbour.

According to a source who asked not to be named, the terrorists, numbering about 20, laid a siege to the community around 1:00 am.

“They were armed with cutlasses, knives, metals, hammers and guns,” the source said. 

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Before breaking into Yellow’s house, the armed men had besieged the apartment of his neighbour known as Ashimu, a carpenter, asking him the whereabouts of Yellow.

“Perhaps they invaded Ashimu’s house because they got information that Yellow parked his Camry vehicle in his (Ashimu) compound,” a source said.

Ashimu and his family members were forced to direct the bandits to Yellow’s house at gunpoint.

Yellow and his female visitor sighted the kidnappers advancing towards his apartment. He would later escape abduction through his ceiling. Unfortunately, he could not lift his visitor atop the ceiling.

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In an attempt to break into his apartment, “the bandits vandalised his window, but could not gain access,” according to sources. 

Eventually, they started breaking the walls of Yellow’s apartment. “While breaking the wall, they asked him to bring the money he brought home last night,” sources told FIJ.

They also said while Yellow was trying to lift his female visitor, the bandits barged in and shot incautiously. It was in the process of this that the lady was kidnapped and an unspecified amount of money was carted away from his room.

The terrorists could have rained mayhem, but vigilantes thwarted their efforts to continue operating, said locals.

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A member of the community said the police were invited instantly as the bandits started wreaking havoc, but no response until 08:00 am.

“They took Yellow along with them,” he said. “They said they needed his attention for further investigation.”

However, the terrorists, according to locals, went away with Ashimu and Yellow’s visitor. FIJ learned they called on Saturday demanding N6 million ransom to free Ashimu, but nothing has been said about the lady yet.