When Daily Trust visited some of the towns on Sunday, it noticed that many houses remained unoccupied, with only a few locals, mostly males, seen in groups under trees, while others worked on their farms along the road.
Several residents, particularly women and children in the Abaji Area Council Federal Capital Territory (FCT) communities of Adagba, Gurdi, Tekpeshe, Kutara, Rafin-Daji, Lafiya Yaba, Mayaki, and Gulida have fled their homes over possible terrorists' attack.
When Daily Trust visited some of the towns on Sunday, it noticed that many houses remained unoccupied, with only a few locals, mostly males, seen in groups under trees, while others worked on their farms along the road.
Yakubu Ibrahim, an Adagba native who was observed working on his farm, revealed that bandits forced him to relocate his two wives and children out of the neighbourhood.
Many men, he added, had relocated their wives and children for fear of being attacked by the bandits, while he stayed because of his farm.
He further said, “I had to move my wives and children to Yangoji. I don’t sleep in here. After I finish work on the farm I move to Yaba to sleep and come back the following morning.”
Abdullahi Mayaki, the village Head of Adagba, said his subjects, particularly women and children, had abandoned the village for fear of being assaulted by bandits.
He said, “Some of my subjects have to stay back after moving their families out to Yaba, Abaji and Yangoji over fear of the bandits’ threat. And another thing we are facing here is that herders have taken advantage of that to move their cows and eat up our crops.”
He added that the bandits delivered a message through the abducted victims at Tekpeshe who were released, telling the people to prepare for their arrival.
Only a few locals were seen during another visit to Tekpeshe and Gurdi villages.
Usman Aliyu, a resident of Gurdi, said the villagers were living in fear because of the activities of the bandits.
He said, “That was how they threatened to attack the neighbouring Zago village in Niger State, and today, they have sacked the entire village. In fact, the Village Head of Zago has relocated to Abaji with his family.”The District Head of Gurdi, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, was not at home when our reporter visited, as he was said to have travelled to Yaba on the invitation of the Etsu Yaba, His Royal Highness (HRH), Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, for a meeting over the security situation in the area.
It was further gathered that Wednesday’s attacks came four days after the neighbouring communities of Kpada and Yaba were attacked during which at least one person was killed.
It was also gathered that five persons were kidnapped in the neighbouring Zago village in Niger State.
The spokesman of the Niger State Police Command, ASP Wasiu Abiodun, could not be reached for reaction on the development as he did not pick calls put across to him.
Also, spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, DSP Adeh Josephine, did not reply to an SMS on the development.