Bandits have gone on rampage burning two tractors and abducting 22 farmers in Rafin-Daji community, Gurdi ward of Abaji Area Council of Abuja.
The community, Rafin-Daji, reportedly shares boundary with Zago community in Niger State, which are connected through river Gurara.
According to Daily Trust, a farmer Saidu Yakubu, who escaped, said the incident happened around 2pm on Thursday, when bandits wielding AK -47 rifles attacked farmers that were cultivating their lands in the community.
Yakubu said the bandits shot sporadically into the air before whisking away the farmers and burning down two tractors on a large farm land in the community.
He said 13 family members were among the 22 abducted victims.
He said the 13 family members, including two females, were working on separate farm lands when they bandits swopped on them.
“It was only God that saved me as I managed to escape when the bandits were shooting into the air,” he said.
The aforementioned publication reported that the District Head of Gurdi Chiefdom, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, who confirmed the abduction of farmers and burning of tractors through telephone on Friday, however, said he was yet to ascertain the number of the abducted farmers.
Mohammed, who said his people were under siege as bandits usually invade his chiefdom through Niger state, added that had reported the latest kidnap incident to the police and also the authorities of Abaji Area Council.
The spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, ASP Oduniyi Omotayo, who confirmed the attack said efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims and bring perpetrators to book.
“Upon receipt of the information, a combined team of police officers from various tactical and intelligence units of the command, hunters, vigilantes, hunters stormed the forest and combed it aggressively,” he said.
Omotayo said while monitoring and surveillance of the community was also ongoing.
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