As Residents Blame New Road Opened By Developers
Armed kidnappers struck Extension II Relocation Estate along Arab Road, Kubwa, for the third time in 5 years on June 6, killing Muftau and abducting his brother, Sodiq.
Sodiq regained freedom on Tuesday, June 9, after 3 days in captivity. Residents familiar with the negotiations told THE WHISTLER that 2 Android phones were part of the ransom.
THE WHISTLER could not independently verify the cash amount.
When THE WHISTLER visited the residence the following day, the compound was deserted. The family had moved out within 24 hours of the attack.
Residents said the assailants entered around 10:30 p.m. on June 6 through the same hill route used in at least 2 earlier attacks on the community.
Logo Olakunle, a resident who witnessed the attack, said the first sign came through messages on the estateβs communication platform. He had returned home shortly after 10 p.m. and was preparing to sleep.
βSomebody posted that it looked like a robbery was happening on the east side. Initially, I didnβt take it seriously because sometimes people hear noises and assume something is wrong.
βLater, another message came saying it looked like people were shouting for help. I had already undressed to sleep. I came outside and checked the area, but couldnβt see anything unusual,β he said.
Olakunle added, βI started hearing sounds from the burglar-proof. Because this place is usually quiet at night, the noise stood out. I checked the platform again and saw messages saying they were breaking the burglar-proof. That was when I quickly dressed up and came outside.β
He said the neighbourhood was without electricity, making it difficult to see what was happening until the security light came on.
βI could see the house from where I stood but there were trees inside the compound. The weather was cool and it looked like rain was coming. I could only see movement among the trees.
βImmediately, the security light came on, I saw the men clearly. As soon as the light illuminated the area, they started covering their faces. They were in a hurry.β
THE WHISTLER gathered that community security personnel arrived shortly after and fired warning shots.
βOur security personnel came. I signalled to them. They could see the house from where they were. They fired warning shots from their local guns and the attackers became agitated. Some of them began retreating through different escape routes,β Olakunle said.
He said the attackers were dressed entirely in black, carrying firearms and cutlasses.
βIf you saw them on the road, you would think they were vigilantes or JTF personnel. They wore black on black. They looked like security operatives. That was probably to confuse residents,β he told our correspondent.
One of the victims was reportedly killed while struggling with the assailants near the stairs.
βThe young man was pushing one of the attackers who had entered the house. He was pushing him towards the staircase and didnβt know another gunman was behind him.
βThat second person shot him from behind at close range. I saw the first shot and then another. It happened very fast,β Olakunle said.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said the man who died appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties.
The gunshots drew out residents who had stayed indoors. βIt was the gunshots that made many people realise the seriousness of what was happening. Before then, many people were still trying to understand what was going on,β Olakunle said.
The attackers took the second brother and fled through the surrounding hills. The victimsβ mother was not home. Two other brothers and the familyβs only daughter were also away.
Police arrived after Olakunle contacted officers at the Byazhin Police Division through one of his contacts.
βI personally called the Divisional Police Officerβs team through a contact I had at the Byazhin Police Station. They said they would inform officers on patrol.
βLater, police arrived with armed personnel and an armoured vehicle. They helped evacuate the victim who had been shot and took him to the hospital alongside family members,β he said.
Other residents said the terrain gave the attackers an advantage.
βThey know the hills and the bush paths. Once they get into those areas, pursuing them becomes difficult, especially at night. There are trees everywhere. There is poor visibility. There is poor network. It is a difficult terrain for security operations,β a neighbour who declined to give his name told THE WHISTLER.
New Road Exposed The Estate
Residents say attacks resumed after developers cut a new road behind the estate, which reopened access routes the community had blocked following earlier kidnappings.
THE WHISTLER could not independently establish that the road was responsible for the attack. However, residents consistently maintained that it had altered the security dynamics of the area.
After the 2022 attack, residents identified the hill route as a key entry and escape corridor and blocked it. Between 2024 and 2025, there were no incidents.
That changed when developers acquired land behind the estate and cut a new road through the hill. Beyond the hill is settlement that residents call a Fulani village. Before the road, the natural terrain and barriers put up after earlier attacks restricted access from that side.
βWe observed what happened and blocked their free entry and exit route. There was a hill there and movement was difficult. Even cows hardly passed through that area. But when developers acquired land and opened the road, everything changed.