Gunmen Kidnap Businessman and Two Daughters in Niger Community Near Abuja

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have raided Zhidi, a community bordering Dei-Dei town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) but located in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.

According to Daily Trust, the attackers abducted a businessman, Muhammad Shuaibu, along with his two daughters a 200-level university student and her younger sister  during the midnight attack.

A family member told the newspaper that the assailants broke into the victim’s home around 12 a.m. on Friday, October 2, through the backyard after destroying a burglar-proof padlock.

“They did the same thing in the room where the wife of the family head was sleeping. She woke up suddenly to see them inside her room, so she quickly ran toward her husband’s room,” the source recounted.

The source added that the gunmen gathered all family members in the sitting room and threatened to take everyone away. However, the wife reportedly pleaded for the safety of her baby, prompting the attackers to spare her and the infant.

The attackers also seized the couple’s mobile phones and demanded food items, which were not available in the house.

Residents said the police outpost in the area is understaffed, and efforts to get reinforcement from the Dei-Dei Police Division were unsuccessful. According to them, officers at Dei-Dei often decline to intervene, claiming the area falls under Niger State’s jurisdiction, while Zhidi residents insist they are closer to the FCT.