In a brazen attack, bandits kidnapped two journalists along with their families in the Danhonu community of Millennium City, located in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna. The victims included Alhaji AbdulGafar Alabelewe of The Nation newspaper and AbdulRaheem Aodu of Blueprint Newspaper, along with their wives and children.
Alhaji Alabelewe, who also serves as the chairman of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council, was among those abducted. According to Taofeeq Olayemi, a family member, the armed men stormed the community around 10:30 PM on Saturday, firing shots indiscriminately before making their move.
During the raid, the kidnappers took Alhaji Alabelewe, his wife, and two of his children. Alhaji Aodu and his wife were also kidnapped, though their sick daughter was left behind.
Olayemi explained that the bandits initially abducted Alhaji AbdulGafar, his wife, three of his children, and a girl staying with them. However, they later released the girl and one of the children, taking the remaining family members with them. The assailants forced entry by breaking doors, windows, and removing security barriers after scaling the fence.
Olayemi, a relative of Mr. Aodu who lives nearby, recounted the terrifying ordeal. “They arrived around 10:30 PM on Saturday, shooting sporadically. They first broke into Aodu’s house, abducted him and his wife, and left their sick daughter behind.”
He continued, “Then, they entered AbdulGafar’s house by jumping over the fence. They went straight to his bedroom and took him, his wife, and two of their children. They left immediately, after which the vigilantes arrived and started firing into the air.”
Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Kaduna, ASP Mansir Hassan, for a response were unsuccessful, as his phone was unreachable at the time of this report.