No fewer than six kidnapping incidents have been recorded in the Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with the most recent involving the abduction of a pastor from his residence in Gaupe in the early hours of Sunday.
THE WHISTLER learnt that the pastor, who moved to the area less than three months ago, was abducted by armed men who fired shots randomly while operating for nearly 30 minutes.
A security operative, who requested anonymity due to “threat to life and job security”, told THE WHISTLER that the incident occurred barely a kilometre away from the military base located in the Gaupe primary school area of Kuje.
The pastor, identified simply as TJ, does not have a physical church structure but is known to conduct worship services at his residence.
“I do not know whether his church has a name because I do not attend there, but he always preaches and worships in his house with his family and others who are willing to join him.
“Even on Sundays, he conducts his worship services in his house. It is unfortunate that he was kidnapped,” a neighbour of the pastor revealed, confirming the Sunday incident.
The security operative disclosed that the recent incident is the third in less than a month, with no fewer than six people abducted and one killed.
Communities including Godoji and Gadoro have experienced kidnapping incidents during the period.
“In Godoji, they kidnapped two people (a man and a woman) and killed a man. In another incident, they invaded the Gadoro community, also in Kuje, where they kidnapped three persons. None of these victims has been released.
“If this resurgence of kidnapping is not checked, it may turn Kuje into an unsafe area for residents who have long forgotten what insecurity feels like,” the source warned.
However, the FCT Police Command stated they have yet to receive a situation report (SIREP) of such incidents within the stated period.
Its spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, told THE WHISTLER that the FCT had not recorded any kidnappings recently.
“We have not received any record of that nature from Kuje or any area of the FCT. The said places may be remote areas, and if these incidents occurred, they went unreported because I receive SIREPs daily.
“In fact, kidnapping is not the issue at the moment for the command, but rather car theft. Criminals are back to stealing cars from parking areas, and it is becoming a concern to the command.”
Gaupe is one of the communities in Kuje District with little or no police presence despite being a high-risk location in the nation’s territory. The only police division is located at a distance, in Pegi.
