Police swings into action after Twitter user raises alarm over kidnap of 17 Abuja residents
The Nigeria Police says it has swung into action in response to an alarm raised on Twitter that 17 people have been kidnapped in Abuja.
A Twitter user, @Ameerah_sufyan, says she and 16 other residents of the federal capital territory (FCT) have been kidnapped by gunmen.
In a post on her Twitter handle on Tuesday, the Abuja resident said the victims included pregnant women and children.
“Please whoever has my WhatsApp number, I sent a broadcast message of my location. We were abducted at gun point by [people] with police uniforms and a van from our houses from different parts of Abuja.
“We’re 17 including 3 pregnant women and two little kids. They didn’t see my phone,” she wrote.
In a chat with TheCable, Sahabi Sufyan, who identified himself as Ameerah’s brother, said she was just recovering from an accident.
“It’s not easy to have a loved one in the hands of unknown men, most especially, those who are armed with intentions and whereabouts unknown,” he said.
“She’s just recovering from an accident where a hit-and-run driver knocked her down. With her health, coupled with the level of insecurity, we can only trust God.”
In another post at 3:36pm, about two hours after the previous, Ameerah said the victims had been divided into separate groups. She has not posted anything afterwards.
Reacting to the development in a series of tweets, the FCT police command said investigation had begun into the incident.
The command added that operatives have been deployed to track the victims, and urged everyone to remain calm.
