There was tension in Gwombe village, in Gwargwada Chiefdom, Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as yet to be identified gunmen abducted eight women on a farm.
According to a source within the community, the gunmen, who wielded AK-47 rifles appeared and surrounded the housewives while they were harvesting benni seed.
Confirming the attack, a community leader, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that four among the women are from the same household.
He alleged, “I suspect that these gunmen that abducted our women are among those ones that escaped from neighbouring Kabbi village who were roaming inside the bush after Miyetti Allah vigilantes neutralised some of them over the weekend.”
The spokeswoman of the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, could not respond when contacted over the incident.
This is coming barely 48 hours after gunmen abducted the father of the vice chairman of Kwali Area Council of the FCT, alongside six others in Yewuti village in Kwali.
In another development, some youths of Umuochiala, Owerrinta, in Isiala Ngwa South LGA of Abia State have been arrested and allegedly taken to Abuja, for dredging sands at Imo River, a border town between Imo and Abia States.
The youths, who were working in the site, were believed to be eking out a living by lifting sand at the Imo River, before they were allegedly arrested and taken away by the police.
A community leader and indigene of Umuochiala, Owerrinta who spoke on the issue, blamed the arrest of the youths on few indigenes of the community who are based outside the country and their supporters at Umuochiala.
The community leader, who pleaded anonymity, dismissed the claims by the abroad-based individuals that the Owerrinta Bridge which links Imo State and Abia State may soon collapse because of dredging activities going on in the area.
However, some indigenes of Owerrinta, led by Dr Ngozi Erondu have raised alarm that the Imo River Bridge, which links Abia and Imo States may soon collapse as a result of activities of sand dredgers at the Imo River Bridge.
In the SoS message, Erondu alleged that the continued dredging of sand in the river was exposing the bridge to structural defects which could eventually lead to its collapse.
Meanwhile, Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna has visited the Imo River site, with the aim of maintaining a lasting peace in the community.
Ogbonna, who was accompanied by some top officials of his ministry during the visit, appealed to the parties to allow peace to reign, even as he promised to facilitate the release of some persons that were arrested by the police.