No fewer than 11 people, comprising males, females and children, have been reportedly killed by attackers in Kuseki community in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the FCT.
A member of the community, Danladi Usman, said the incident happened last Friday around 10:47pm when the villagers had turned in for the night.
He said the suspects, who came through a bush path, wielding weapons and cutlasses, invaded some houses and opened fire on the villagers.
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He said the suspects took the villagers unawares, as they had never had any misunderstanding or clash with anyone in the community for years.
He said he woke up and went to the toilet when he suddenly heard gunshots, adding that he hid inside the toilet.
“It was God that saved me because I went to the open toilet behind the backyard of my house, and a few minutes later, I started hearing gunshots, and I decided to remain inside the toilet for almost 45 minutes,” he said.
He said the suspects broke into his house and shot two of his sons, adding that he later came out of the toilet when the whole community had become tense.
“I later came out and saw two of my children lying in a pool of blood, and I became confused because people were crying and shouting across the entire village. At that moment, I did not know what to do,” he said.
According to him, some of the villagers were forced to flee their homes that night to sleep in the bush, adding that two young men, who hid on the ceiling, helped him to take his two sons to the hospital.
Usman said the armed men killed nine people and injured 10 others with machetes.
He said the people injured were evacuated to Godiya Clinic at neighbouring Gadabuke town under Toto LGA of Nasarawa State where they were receiving treatment.
He said two more victims – a housewife and an adult male – died on Wednesday at the clinic while undergoing treatment.
“The hoodlums also killed an Igbo trader, who owned a provision shop in the village and carted away some items from the shop,” he added.
He said the attackers timed when members of the vigilantes in the community had travelled to attend a meeting with their members in neighbouring Nakuse village on that Friday to carry out the attack.
“That very day, which was a Friday, the whole vigilante members had left to attend a meeting with their members at neighbouring Nakuse village, and the attackers used the opportunity to enter our community and carry out the attack,” he said.
I suspect attackers were hired –Village chief
The village head of the community, Mr Gomo Dankwali, who also confirmed the incident to our reporter, said he suspected the attackers might have been hired to attack innocent people of the community.
He said his subjects had been living peacefully without misunderstanding with anyone or community, adding that until last Friday night, when some people invaded the community and killed 11 of his subjects and injured nine others.
The village chief said he was forced to hide when the attackers invaded the community, moving from house to house, shooting and macheting people.
“It’s God that also saved me because I was inside my room when I started hearing gunshots while some people were crying and shouting. I can’t even tell how I managed to survive the attack that night,” he said.
He said he had reported the incident to the district head of Karshi, even as he said some police officers later visited the community on Saturday and obtained information about the incident and left.
Dankwali said the remains of the 11 victims had been buried by their family members in the community, and appealed to the security authorities to ensure those behind the attack are arrested and prosecuted.
Youths condemn attack
A youth group under the aegis of the Gade Youth Movement (GYM) has condemned the killing in Kuseki community.
The chairman of GYM, Comrade Bello Ahmed, who spoke to our reporter over the phone on Thursday, while reacting to the incident, described the attack as senseless and barbaric.
He said the Gade natives of the FCT at been cohabiting with other tribes peacefully without any misunderstanding.
He said the group mourned the deaths of the innocent villagers while calling on police authorities to swing into action to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book.
Ahmed urged the entire Gade tribes across the FCT to remain calm and go about their activities peacefully, even as he appealed to the authorities of AMAC under the leadership of Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, to swing into action over the incident.
The chairman, Mr Bello Ahmed, advised the villagers to continue to remain calm and love one another in order to promote peaceful coexistence.
Gade elders condole with victims’ families
Also, a group of Gade ethnic elders, under the umbrella of Gade Development and Cultural Association (GADECA), has condoled with the village chief and families of the victims of the attack.
The president of GADECA, Barr Ibrahim Haske Dikko, who was represented by the vice president of the group, Mr Roland Sabon Goje, who led the delegation on behalf of the elders to the community on Wednesday, also condemned the attack and prayed for the souls of the deceased to rest in peace.
The elders called on the authorities of AMAC to intensify efforts in ensuring that those behind the attack are arrested and made to face the law.
The police in the area confirmed the incident but referred our reporter to the FCT command for detail.
The spokeswoman of the command, SP JosephineAdeh, did not respond to calls put across to her on the incident.
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