Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have invaded Rachael’s Orphanage Home opposite UBE Junior Secondary School in Naharati, Abaji Area Council, Abuja, abducting seven children.

According to reports, the attackers also abducted a security guard identified as Joseph Mathew, including two housewives; Rukaiyyat Salihu, and Suwaiba Momoh, during the attack on Saturday.

The names of the abducted orphans were given as Elizabeth Andrew, Dayo Udeh, Jacob Ukpas, Melody Ijeh, Benard Itim, Issac Mathew and Laruba Emmanuel.

A resident of the area told journalists that the gunmen, who came in large numbers, stormed the orphanage home on Saturday around 1am.

He said: “The gunmen came in large numbers and heavily armed. However, they did not shoot as they carried out the operation quietly before they proceeded to the neighbours’ houses.”

The spokesman for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Maryam Yusuf, confirmed the incident.

Yusuf said security agencies had been deployed to the forest to rescue the victims.

She said, “We are working hard to rescue them and apprehend the perpetrators. Already, we have rescued one of the hostages and we want to assure that the rest would also be rescued unhurt.”