Family of Seven members were abducted by bandits who stormed Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Two police officers were also shot during the raid.

It was learned that the bandits had shot and killed a middle-aged guy, only known as Alhaji, after he led police officers to stop the kidnapping of the seven family members.

LEADERSHIP has revealed that bandits have been raiding communities under the jurisdiction of Bwari Area Council in recent days, kidnapping and murdering locals.

Isaiah Samuel, a Bwari local, described how the criminals broke into Zuma 1 in the Bwari central ward of the Area Council early on Wednesday morning.

Samuel claimed that after locating their victim’s home, the bandits set up shop in key locations. The victim, upon sensing an odd noise, promptly contacted a relative known only as Alhaji, who dispatched police officers to the area.

 “It was when the man suspected a strange sound in front of his house that he immediately called his brother, popularly called Alhaji to alert the police,” Samuel said.

He claimed that as Alhaji led a group of police officers to the residence, he was shot and killed by a bandit hiding in a corner.

Samuel claimed that the police and the robbers engaged in gunfire right away, which resulted in two police officers being shot.

 “The bandits eventually succeeded in whisking away the man and his family members, because the distance from the victim’s house to where the police engaged the bandits is far,” he added.

He also revealed how the bandits in the early hours of Tuesday invaded Barangoni, still in Bwari central ward, and abducted three persons and injured a vigilante member.

Samuel appealed to the Area Council officials to assist the locals by working with security personnel to address the ongoing abductions occurring in the community.

 “The truth is that Bwari area council is under siege, because for the past two weeks now, bandits have been moving from one community to another killing and abducting people,” he said.

Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command was yet to react to the latest attacks as at press time