Over the weekend, kidnappers and terrorists carried out daring attacks in the Sabo Lugbe axis along Airport Road and the Karmo district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. In separate incidents, four individuals were abducted in the Sabo Lugbe area, only to vanish into the Kuje forest and Karmo hills and bushes with their victims.

Read also: Army rescues 35 kidnap victims in Katsina

The incidents unfolded between 10:30 pm on Saturday and 1:30 am on Sunday, marking an escalation in criminal activities. Responding to distress calls, the police traced the kidnappers to the Kuje forest and Idu-Gwagwa hills and bushes. A shootout ensued, resulting in the rescue of the four victims as the kidnappers fled the scene.

This comes shortly after a separate incident where five Almajirai and two suspected members of Boko Haram died in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno. Another IED, suspected to be a suicide attack, killed seven farmers on the Pulka/Firgi road in the same region.

In light of the escalating insecurity, a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has called for urgent action, urging President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on kidnapping, terrorism, and other criminal activities.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun reported positive strides in combating crime, stating that the Special Intervention Squad (SIS) has arrested 139 kidnapping and armed robbery suspects, rescuing 154 victims within two weeks of its inauguration.