The hoodlums have also scaled up abductions on highways, taking advantage of bad roads.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Department of Operations to ensure that rising kidnappings in the federal capital territory are addressed with immediate effect.
The directive followed a crucial security meeting with the Force Management Team and Commanders of Police Tactical Squads on Tuesday.
SaharaReporters had reported that gunmen suspected to be kidnappers had been operating freely, kidnapping scores of residents in their houses in the Bwari Area Council of the nation's capital and other parts of the country.
The hoodlums have also scaled up abductions on highways, taking advantage of bad roads.
Expressing concern over the worrying development, the IGP convened a meeting on Tuesday to map out strategies to check the activities of bandits terrorising various parts of the country.
A statement by Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the IGP while expressing concern over the growing security crisis in the nation, explained the need for a decisive action to tackle the problem.
He said that the IGP has “ordered the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Department of Operations, to personally coordinate the upscaled security strategies emplaced to decimate kidnappers and other criminal elements in the FCT and immediately restore normalcy.”
"During the meeting, which centred on a comprehensive review of current security challenges, strategic planning, and the deployment of tactical resources to tackle emerging threats, the IGP emphasised the need for a coordinated and intelligence-driven approach to address the evolving security landscape," the statement read.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that residents of Nahuta community in Katsina State's Batsari Local Government Area had fled their houses in fear of an attack by terrorists.
This was seen in pictures shared by a journalist, Mohammed Babangida, on the X platform showing how Nahuta dwellers, including women and children, were carrying their belongings and moving out of the community.
“Residents of Nahuta in Batsari Local Government of Katsina State fleeing to safety,” Mohammad captioned the pictures.
This came after it was widely reported that a group of terrorists successfully dislodged a joint military base meant to protect Nahuta community on Sunday.
SaharaReporters reported on Monday that Nigerian lawyer, based in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Oladosu Ariyo, had revealed how his wife and four children were abducted by a group of terrorists who invaded his house in Abuja last Sunday.
Ariyo in a series of tweets made on his profile on X, said his first daughter, Folashade Ariyo, aged 13, was killed by the terrorists because of his inability to raise the demanded ransom of N60 million.
Ariyo said, “Dear seniors and colleagues, most respectfully, I’m Oladosu Folorunso Ariyo, a lawyer working in Abuja. On Sunday evening the 7th of January 2024, around 7:30 pm, a band of kidnappers dressed in full military camouflage invaded my home located at Sagwari Layout Estate in Dutse, Abuja.
"They kidnapped my wife (who is also a lawyer) and our four children. The kidnappers called and demanded 60million naira ransom, out of which through generous donations from friends and family, I’ve been able to raise the sum of several millions of naira which they have vehemently refused to collect.
“As of today they’ve killed my first born, Michelle Ariyo (age 13) and dumped her corpse on Kaduna Road while threatening to kill my three remaining children (who are all minors) and wife, who are still in captivity.”
"Please and please sir, I urgently need the intervention of the NBA. When will these kidnappings end, when will the government pretend to be serious about this insecurity in our country? God help us all," he added.