Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a businessman, Alhaji Yusuf Keche, shortly after he observed Isha’i prayers at a mosque in Dabi, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday evening as Keche was returning home from the mosque located close to his residence.
A resident, Ibrahim Suleiman, said the assailants emerged from a tinted, unmarked vehicle while armed with AK 47 rifles and forced the businessman into the vehicle before fleeing the area amid sporadic gunshots.
Suleiman said two members of the gang had allegedly positioned themselves around the mosque before the other suspects arrived in the vehicle and carried out the abduction.
He said the manner in which the operation was executed suggested that the victim’s movements may have been monitored before the attack.
“The way the operation was carried out clearly shows that the gunmen had been monitoring the man’s movement because the operation was like a movie,” he said.
Suleiman, who lives close to the mosque, said he initially mistook the sound of the gunshots for an electrical fault until he realised that the noise was coming from firearms.
Another resident, who operates a provisions shop near the mosque, said he immediately locked himself inside after hearing the gunshots.
The resident, who requested anonymity, said he remained indoors until the assailants left before closing his shop and returning home.
He also disclosed that he had noticed a cyclist behaving suspiciously around the area shortly before the incident.
“Even before the incident happened, I saw an okada man moving around the place.
He was going slowly and coming back, which made me suspicious because people were still praying inside the mosque at the time. It was after the prayers that I started hearing gunshots,” he said.
The resident suspected that the cyclist might have been acting as an informant for the kidnappers, although this could not be independently confirmed.
Our correspondent learnt that Keche, who is married to two wives, is involved in land transactions and politics in the area.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, said she was not aware of the reported abduction.
Adeh, however, promised to make enquiries from the Kwali Police Division and provide further information on the incident.
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a businessman, Alhaji Yusuf Keche, shortly after he observed Isha’i prayers at a mosque in Dabi, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday evening as Keche was returning home from the mosque located close to his residence.
A resident, Ibrahim Suleiman, said the assailants emerged from a tinted, unmarked vehicle while armed with AK 47 rifles and forced the businessman into the vehicle before fleeing the area amid sporadic gunshots.
Suleiman said two members of the gang had allegedly positioned themselves around the mosque before the other suspects arrived in the vehicle and carried out the abduction.
He said the manner in which the operation was executed suggested that the victim’s movements may have been monitored before the attack.
“The way the operation was carried out clearly shows that the gunmen had been monitoring the man’s movement because the operation was like a movie,” he said.
Suleiman, who lives close to the mosque, said he initially mistook the sound of the gunshots for an electrical fault until he realised that the noise was coming from firearms.
Another resident, who operates a provisions shop near the mosque, said he immediately locked himself inside after hearing the gunshots.
The resident, who requested anonymity, said he remained indoors until the assailants left before closing his shop and returning home.
He also disclosed that he had noticed a cyclist behaving suspiciously around the area shortly before the incident.
“Even before the incident happened, I saw an okada man moving around the place.
He was going slowly and coming back, which made me suspicious because people were still praying inside the mosque at the time.
It was after the prayers that I started hearing gunshots,” he said.
The resident suspected that the cyclist might have been acting as an informant for the kidnappers, although this could not be independently confirmed.
Our correspondent learnt that Keche, who is married to two wives, is involved in land transactions and politics in the area.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, said she was not aware of the reported abduction.
Adeh, however, promised to make enquiries from the Kwali Police Division and provide further information on the incident.