FRANCA OCHIGBO captures the growing spate of grisly attacks and robberies in Abuja, including her own experience at the hands of murderous rogues
I woke up by 5:30 in the morning and left my house for my usual road walk in Kubwa, Abuja. It is a habit I have formed for over 10 years, it keeps me healthy and fit. As I move along I watch other people jog, walk, some in groups, others alone just like me. I walk for at least two hours every morning depending on my schedule for the day.
On October 19, 2017, as I walked past Total petrol station, close to Foursquare Church in Kubwa, with my earphone on and music blasting from my small Samsung phone, I did not notice the okada parked on the roadside. As I turned sideways to look, I saw two men jump down from the okada while the okada rider was waiting. The two men rushed at me, one held my hands while the other was busy stabbing me.
My first thought was they were kidnappers, but they were not with a car, so how could they kidnap me? Then I thought they were ritual killers. At that moment I just could not think or comprehend what they wanted to do; they did not ask any question or say a word, which got me more confused.
While one of them was stabbing me I kept screaming Jesus, somebody help me, please help me. Then right behind me, the shops there started opening, and people started coming out. Immediately they noticed people were coming out they climbed the okada and sped off.
It never occurred to me that my phone was gone. I was bleeding all over, blood gushing from all parts of my body. I was stabbed in four places, my left hand, two on my back and by my side. Among the people that came out was a Good Samaritan who gave me transport money which I used to go to the police station and the hospital.
I took an okada to the Kubwa police station. On getting there I was asked to wait, I sat there for over 50 minutes, almost an hour, when I asked what their reasons were for keeping me, they said the group that should take my statement was not back from patrol.
I was getting dizzy and weak and I told them if no one will take my statement I should just go and treat myself. That was when one of them asked me, Madam where do you work. I said I am a journalist. He now said I should follow him to the general hospital next to the police station in Kubwa.
On getting to the general hospital we met a lady doctor on duty who was waiting to hand over, as soon as she saw me, she began treatment not minding the fact that I had no money on me at that time. She gave me injection, stitched the wounds and wrote out drugs for me to buy. When I told her I had no money on me at the moment that I just came out for road walk, she said no problem, your life matters, I will treat you after the treatment when you get home come back, pay and pick up your drugs.
After the treatment I managed to get to my colleague’s house opposite the general hospital. He and his wife drove me home.
A week later I was telling a friend of my experience and she said don’t even go too far, mine was three days ago I was going for early morning mass with my sister at the 2/1 part of kubwa, we came out of our gate by 6am and were waiting for okada to take us to church, we just saw an okada rider in front of us with two men and the okada rider making the third person, the two men jumped down while the okada rider was waiting, one of them held the knife high to stab me, immediately we saw them we started running, out of confusion we could not run into our house gate. She said, “As I was running I entered an open soak-away, jumped out and kept running, the guy was still chasing me as soon as I threw away my bag and phone he picked it and turned back.
I asked how her sister escaped, she said the sister threw her bag at the second man and that was how they both escaped. She showed me bruises from the wound she sustained while running.
Osinachi Igwe who narrated his story said, he was going for Adoration, which takes place before the morning mass by 4:45am on his bicycle, he just saw three men on a bike riding towards him, the next thing the hit his bicycle and pulled him down with a knife on his neck, they tried cutting his neck but the knife will not penetrate, so they started poking his chest with the knife it still will not penetrate, while all this was going on one of the men held his hand while the other one was doing all this. When they realise they could not cut him with a knife one of them brought out a machete that was when he struggled with all the strength he has and ran away.
Osinachi said, while he was running, few metres away, he saw a man with blood all over his body from stabs by these group of people, what he cannot say is if it’s the same people that attacked him that stabbed this man.
Mallam Jibril is an Imam in one of the mosque in Kubwa, he said they have seen a lot of attacks on their members by this group of people. According to him, some of the okada riders in Kubwa are even victims, they steal their okada and stab them too. The people committing this crime are seriously terrorizing the Kubwa metropolis, we believe the police in Kubwa know these people, if they want to arrest them it is easy, why they keep letting them go is what is surprising all of us. Most times the police will say they are making arrest and they end up arresting innocent okada riders, if the police want to get these guys they know where the guys are and what to do.
The crime rate in Kubwa is taking a serious dimension, residents believe the police know these groups terrorizing the satellite town but choose to look the other way and are not willing to do anything about it. How do you explain a stabbed victim going to the police and yet the police is not taking statement and not showing any concern on the health condition of the victim. The people see the police as law enforcement officers to protect lives and properties, but with this situation how safe are we, till this minute the perpetrators are working the street as free people feeling that they are untouchable and no one can do anything about it.
From what residents are saying, it is not a religious attack of any kind. It is obvious that these group of people are not petty thieves either, they are blood thirsty group of people who go around harming innocent residents, creating fear and panic all over. Presently you cannot confidently come out of your house before 6-30-7am in the morning. For how long will residents continue to live with this fear? Kubwa is gradually turning into a ghost town as resident rush to their homes by 7pm and by 9-10pm the whole town becomes quiet, no one goes out any how for fear of being attacked or killed by these blood thirsty people.
There has been speculations of killings by these group on the pipeline and 2/1 part of Kubwa. It’s an endless tale of pity for residents. If nothing is done soon there is the likelihood of them moving into the comfort of people’s homes to murder them. If they will just come and demand for a particular thing, it is better, at least the victim will give them, but in their case they don’t demand for anything, they just come with all kind of weapons to kill or maim. Please Kubwa residents need help. Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) police should do something fast.
Reacting to the sad development, In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, FCT Police Command, Abuja Deputy Superintendent Anjuguri Manzah states that the proactive crime fighting measures deployed by the FCT Police Command to curb crime and rid streets of the Federal Capital Territory of hoodlums who loiter at some secluded spots to attack and rob innocent residents of their cash, phones and other valuables has yielded yet another remarkable result with the arrest of some notorious suspects who specialize in phone snatching and vandalizing parked cars and armored cables.
“Six of the suspects who specialize in snatching phones and other valuables from their victims were arrested by police operatives on stop and search duty at Games Village Junction on July 28, 2018 at about 2100hrs. Some dangerous weapons such as cutlasses, dagger and scissors, often used by the suspects to inflict injury on their victims, were recovered as exhibits.”
He gave the names of the suspects arrested as, Bissir Abdullahi ‘m’ 20 years, Auwal Lawani ‘m’ 18 years, Aminu Sani ‘m’ 22 years, Bissir Abdullahi ‘m’ 18 years, Abbas Saleh ‘m’ 18 years and Auwal Umar ‘m’ 18 years. Sequel to the conclusion of investigations, the suspects will soon be charged to court.
Similarly, on 31/7/18 at about 1400hrs following a tip-off, Police operatives arrested one Victor Maiyanga ‘m’ 20 years around City Gate while vandalising armoured cables. The exhibits recovered from him were some vandalised armoured cables and one cutlass. On the same date, at about 2100hrs police operatives on stop and search duty at Games Village Junction arrested one Abdulrahaman Idris ‘m’ 20 years who specialises in vandalising parked vehicles and armoured cables. The following were recovered from him as exhibits: two daggers, two short knives, three Saws, seven spanners, and two hand gloves. Both suspects will soon be charged to court. In case of distress, contact the FCT Police Command Control room on: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653 and 08028940883