Following recent kidnaps in Abuja, fear has gripped Kubwa residents.

Kubwa is a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

On Wednesday, some Kubwa residents expressed their concerns in separate interviews with NAN. A civil servant, Fidelis Nwanchukwu, said, “At home, one is unsafe. To board commercial vehicles, one has to be very careful because you do not know who is who.

“Besides kidnappers disguising as commercial drivers, the issue of one-chance robbers is nothing to write home about.” 

He called on security agencies to step up surveillance and intelligence gathering to checkmate worsening insecurity in the nation’s capital.

James Olaide, a teacher who resides in Kubwa, said due to the cases of kidnapping in the area, there was a time he thought of leaving Abuja for his hometown in Ogun.

“But is my state too free from this criminal act? Day in, day out, these criminals are becoming more daring. This is not the time for the blame game. All hands must be on deck to tackle this menace,” Mr Olaide stated.

A spare part seller in Kubwa, Charles Okafor, who said media report about kidnapping cases in Abuja was disturbing, added that there were other unreported cases.

“My advice is everybody should be security conscious. When you see something, say something,” Mr Okafor noted. “Let’s share information, especially with security agencies.”

He further said, “Everybody is struggling to make ends meet, but some people are out there looking for who to kidnap, who to rob and even kill to make a living.” 

For Aisha Hassan, a businesswoman, “the situation is getting out of control.”

She lamented, “I am no longer having rest of mind any time I take my children to school. I live in Kubwa, and my children’s school is along Arab Road. 

“Even though I take them to school and bring them back every day, I am always anxious about their safety with all that is happening in Abuja now.”

Mrs Hassan added that some schools in the FCT had adjusted their time to ensure that students close early due to the continued deterioration of insecurity.

She urged parents to always keep a close watch on their children to avoid being lured by strangers.

On February 3, gunmen abducted a journalist at his house in the Arab Road area of Kubwa. The kidnappers also attacked his neighbours and went away with the two sons of a widow.

Also, on February 26, a five-man gang kidnapped a man and his brother-in-law at Gbazango Extension in Kubwa. The armed men shot three vigilantes, who attempted to foil the operation.

On March 24, an armed group abducted four persons in Kiyi village, Kuje, abducting four residents. 

On April 1, gunmen abducted a resident of the Pegi community in the Kuje area council. The victim was returning from work when kidnapped.

Many of the victims regained their freedom.

The latest kidnapping in Abuja took place at Byazhin in Kubwa on May 21. Gunmen abducted two residents. The kidnappers are demanding N10 million as a ransom for each person held hostage. 

A spokesman for the police at the FCT command, Mariam Yusuf, said the security agency had launched a “strategic operation” to rescue the victims unhurt.