A band of kidnappers dressed as herdsmen invaded Sagwari Layout Estate in Dutse, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory FCT in Bwari Area Council, on Sunday evening.

Vanguard gathered that the kidnappers took eight residents and then proceeded to abduct two staff members of a nearby hotel.

The gun-wielding marauders who invaded the estate at about 7:30 p.m. were said to have shepherded their victims to the nearby hills behind the estate.

An eyewitness said efforts by some security personnel and the estate security to go after the kidnappers were fiercely resisted by the bandits, who had superior firepower and were firing from vantage positions atop the hills.

The FCT Police Command had at the weekend assured residents of Abuja, particularly those living in Ushafa, Bwari, and environs, of their safety as additional police personnel have been deployed to ensure that security threats are nipped in the bud.

Ushafa is just about five minutes from the estate in Dutse.

The FCT Police Commissioner, CP Haruna Garba, visited areas in Bwari last Wednesday following reports of kidnapping attacks to review the security situation in the area.

The command consequently warned individuals to refrain from spreading unverified information to avoid inciting unnecessary panic among residents.

Vanguard recalls that on December 24, bandits invaded the Garam community, which is a five-minute drive from Bwari in the FCT, killing a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, while kidnapping 13 other persons.

On December 28, bandits again invaded Kuduru in FCT, kidnapping 18 persons. (Vanguard)