Abuja Community Where Armed Robbers Steal Foodstuff

The shining Saturday sun couldn’t add any brightness to her gloomy mood: She was still distraught by the robbery incident that took place in her residence just a few days back.

Mummy Amina, as she is fondly called by neighbours at her Chika residence, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, narrated her bitter experience to neigbhours.

Speaking, she said the incident happened in the early hours of the morning around 2am.

“I still don’t know how they got in because I ensured the door was safely locked. It was like a dream, I woke up to see up to six hefty men, wearing menacing looks by my bedside, it was dark so I couldn’t see their faces, that’s even if I dared to look them in the face, “she narrated, adding that the robbers, armed with guns and cutlasses, threatened to hurt her and her baby if she didn’t cooperate.

“I was shocked when they went into my refrigerator to bring out the frozen meat I stored in there, “she said, adding that the robbers rummaged the contents of the fridge and took out some of her beverages and drinks.

“I had two bags of rice in my storeroom. One for me, the other for my sister-in-law. They garnered the strength to lift the bags out of the rooms, I marveled at their energy.”

For Juliet, a fashion designer who lives in the same community, the frightened voices of her little nieces remain as clear as a new day after armed broke into her Chika residence only a few days before Mummy Amina’s.

“I just saw a crowd of people, I saw my sister, pleading with them, teary, and they were matching the children on their heads.

“They threatened to injure my little nieces if I didn’t give up my jewellery set. These pieces of jewellery do not even cost much and some of them have even gone rusty, they packed it all notwithstanding, to the last tiny hook and pendant.

“They took their time to search everywhere and everything. They collected my phone and all the foodstuff we had,took our old plasma television too.” Juliet explained that the robbers came with a car but left it under the Chika bridge.

The robbers did not harm anyone in the house, according to Juliet, “They were only bent on taking mostly edibles, this is something that I find really surprising.

“People actually cooperated with them because of the sophisticated arms they were bearing because no  one wants to die.

“It wasn’t the first incident but it was the first time I would witness such an incident. They were so many, some of them stayed outside while the others stayed inside.

“They were mostly young men, they were not even wearing hoods to conceal their identities; they had machetes, guns and all that. My  neighbour was also robbed, my neighbour even said they took all her baby’s food as she is a nursing mother.”

She said the theft of her phone was very painful, but she was glad not to be injured. “There is a school they came in through, it  was the same school they jumped the fence when they were leaving.”

Speaking to THE WHISTLER about the incident,the Chief of Chika community, Mr.Istifanus C. Shegaje, decried the incident and revealed that the community has plans to zone the security since the general one has failed due to the size of the community and the urgency of providing security.

“We have employed hunter groups to take up the security situation as the policemen couldn’t give us what we want,” he explained, adding that he got reports about robbers coming to steal their foodstuff.

“I learnt the robbers were reported to have collected some valuables.”

“It is usually difficult for people to contribute money for the security service. Our community members have to do better just like the police,we can’t say we will leave this one and love this one,we have to carry everyone along nevertheless,”Shegaje said, stressing that the community had concluded on having a vigilante group since the police are unable to help yet.

He said although the Divisional Police Officer of Galadima Divisional Headquarters came to the community for inspection and found out there was no police patrol vehicle in the area.

“We are hoping they join the concerted efforts of our hunters and vigilante groups to provide security for our people, “he said.