FCTA Clears Suspected Kidnappers’ Hideout In Asokoro

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday cleared a cashew plantation in Kpaduma III/Kobi, Asokoro area of Abuja, over suspicions that it was being used as a hideout by kidnappers.

The operation followed the September 15, 2025, incident along Kobi Village Road in Kpaduma III, where police operatives engaged gunmen believed to be kidnappers. During the exchange of gunfire, the assailants used two female victims as human shields in an attempt to escape. However, security operatives managed to rescue the women unhurt after a fierce chase.

Community sources confirmed that two vigilante members sustained gunshot wounds during the incident. Both were rushed to the National Hospital, Abuja, where one was later confirmed dead by doctors, while the other remains under medical care and is reportedly responding to treatment.

Speaking during the clearance exercise, Mukhtar Galadima, Director of the FCTA Department of Development Control, explained that the cashew trees had to be cut down as part of efforts to eliminate suspected criminal hideouts in Asokoro.

“The purpose of our visit to this site is to clear this forest, which has become an ungoverned space. About a week ago, there was a reported case of kidnapping, and the suspects were traced to this area. In the course of the rescue attempt, one of the vigilante officers lost his life. That is why we are here this morning to ensure all the trees are brought down,” Galadima said.

He dismissed claims that residents were opposed to the exercise, stressing that the village authorities had expressed support for the clearance operation. According to him, the FCTA also plans to establish a police post in the area to strengthen security.

“I’ve just been informed by the representative of the village chief that they support this action and will cooperate with us in clearing everything, because they, too, have been victims of the situation. They are not asking for compensation, only for total clearance of the trees,” he added.

Galadima further explained that the measure was not peculiar to Asokoro alone, as similar clearance exercises had been carried out across Abuja to curb the use of thick vegetation and abandoned areas by criminals. He cited recent operations at Apo Resettlement, Apo Guzape, and Mabushi Scavengers Colony.

“We will make recommendations to the FCT Administration. Agencies like the Directorate of Rural Services, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, and the police may be stationed here. Arrangements can be made to ensure this corridor is properly maintained,” he stated.

Dr. Peter Olumiji, Secretary, Command and Control of the FCTA’s Security Services Department, assured residents that the administration, in partnership with security agencies, was deploying both manpower and technology to combat insecurity.

“When security agencies say an investigation is ongoing, it means they are using every tool available, carrying out surveillance and gathering intelligence even within the villages to identify informants. That’s part of what has led to the successes so far,” he explained.

He added that beyond forest guards, drones are being deployed for 24-hour surveillance across forests and plantations in the Federal Capital Territory.

Meanwhile, a resident of Kobi, Iliya Iwadagba, narrated how kidnappers had been terrorizing the community for several years.

“We did not experience this kind of thing before. But five years back now, some unwanted people started coming here, and we could no longer pass this route because anytime in the evening when you pass there, people will just come out from this bush around us, and attack you,” he recounted.

According to him, several residents and travelers had fallen victim to attacks along the Kobi-Kpaduma road. He revealed that some had been kidnapped, while others were killed inside their vehicles.

“They killed one man and left his car, they kidnapped one man, and left his car, and just recently, our vigilante, while trying to secure the area, they came out and shot them. So this thing is getting too much. We are calling on the government to see how they can at least clear this bush and give us security. Even we who are working here, we cannot work because we always think something will happen. Our businesses do not flow here like before because everybody is scared of passing this place,” Iwadagba lamented.

Source: Informationng