Many residents of Yewuti village in the Kwali area of the FCT have begun to flee the village in fear of further attacks after bandits killed one of them and released the remaining four victims in captivity after collecting a N5 million ransom, which included food, drugs, and hemp.
According to reports, on November 18, bandits invaded the community and abducted eight people, including the father of the vice chairman of the council, but on December 2, they released the vice chairman’s father and two others after collecting a N5 million ransom.
A family member of the victims, who preferred anonymity, confirmed the killing and the release of the remaining four victims over the phone on Sunday, saying the victims were freed on Friday, around 6:12 p.m.
Shuaibu Aliyu, a resident who spoke with our reporter on Sunday, said the villagers, particularly women and children, had fled their homes and relocated to nearby Awawa, Abaji, and Yangoji villages, as well as Kwali town due to the activities of the bandits.
He said, “Some residents that have relocated, especially the farmers, do sleep in neighboring towns and return the following morning to their farms.”
At the time of filing this report, the spokeswoman of the FCT Police Command, SP Adeh Josephine, told our reporter on the phone, “I cannot comment on that, but I will inform the CP as he is in a position to comment on that.”
