Murder at midnight!

Three men were killed by a gang of robbers who stormed Gbagalape village in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.It was learnt that the robbers, numbering over 60, arrived the village shouting ‘Mopol Area’ and shooting sporadically for about six hours.

One of the victims, Mrs Mimidoo Apeh, said the robbers were armed with guns, cutlasses and knives. They gained entrance through Nyanya.

Mimidoo, who narrated her experience, said, “It was around 12:09 a.m.  when we started hearing gun shots coming in our direction and, in less then two minutes, my door was kicked open by six armed men asking my husband to bring money. My husband told them he didn’t have money. One of them asked him if he wanted to die, he said `no’. I saw them pointing gun to the head of my five-year-old son. So I quickly ran to bring out the money my husband gave me to buy foodstuffs. When I handed over the money to one of them, he said, “Is it this N12,000 that you slept with and locked the door?’ They left a message with my husband that he should be ready to bury his brother the next morning.

Ternege-Sarwuan

“Little did we know that they had killed my brother-in-law, Timothy. There were so many of them that you could hear foot steps outside like soldiers on parade”.

Madam Theresa Thomas, another victim who lost her husband during the raid, narrated her story: “We heard gunshots outside and, in minutes, our door was kicked open.  One of the robbers asked my husband if he was Mr. Thomas and he said yes. I heard a voice from outside, “kill him”, and the one inside pulled the trigger and shot my husband twice”. The man died.

Mrs Esther Sarwuan is also a victim.  She works at Nyanya General Hospital. Esther is one of the women whose husbands were killed   that night. She told her story: “My husband came back to the house at about  11:30  pm on Thursday, August 27 and slept off immediately.

“Around 12:30 am on Friday, August 28, I started hearing gunshots but I thought the shots were not anything to worry about. But shortly thereafter, I could hear the shooting getting closer and, unable to sleep, I woke my husband around 2am. The moment he heard the gunshots, his eyes cleared.

“My husband went outside as other neighbours also came out, but before they knew it, the robbers came in large number and all the men ran back to their rooms.

“About three of them came into our room and asked who was Hon Ternenge Sarwuan and my husband answered from the bedroom. They walked into the bedroom, asked him to lie down. I joined him lying down. Thereafter, my husband asked me to bring the money he kept with me and give to them. I sprang up. But out of shock and confusion, I forgot where I kept the money. One of the robbers asked me if he could assist to look for the money and I said yes. We both searched for the money and finally found it. They took the money.

“After giving them the money, I went back to where my husband was lying down. Little did I know that  my seven year-old son had woken up and was staring at the robbers; so one of them was about to shoot my son. I turned immediately and dragged my son down and used my body as a cover for him and the bullet hit the wall.

“As they were stepping out, one of the robbers turned back and shot   my husband”.

Another woman, Mrs. Dorcas Abraham, also lost her husband during the raid. She narrated: “The robbers kicked our door open, came in and started beating my husband without asking him for money or anything. And before I knew it, I heard a voice from outside, `If his name is Ibraham, kill him.’ That was how my husband was shot dead in my presence”.

Abraham-Thomas

Amadu Yaro is the Chairman of the vigilante group in Gbagalape village. He said: “We were at a wake keep when some young men ran to inform us about the gunshots. They said the gunmen they saw were more than a unit of the police and the military put together.

“As the gunshots got closer and closer, we ran in different directions. That was how some of us escaped death that night because we learnt that ten people were penciled down to be killed by the robbers.

“If not for the army and the police intervention, the worst could have happened that day. The robbers numbered over 60.

“I remember, in 2008, some robbers also came to this community in such large number. I was shot in that incident and I believe they were the same people that came back”.

The APC Chairman in the FCT, Hon Abbas Baba, paid a condolence visit to one of the victims. He condemned the killing of his member, Sarwuan.

According to him,  government will do everything possible to bring the killers to book.

“This is a new government, it is a government that fights for justice.  APC is solidly behind this family. I want to state categorically that with this party, the children of Sarwuan are not orphans. APC will stand and fight for them”.

Timothy-Anadeyegh

When asked if he suspected the killing was political,  Baba said, “The death of Hon Sarwuan looks suspicious. According to the wife, when the gunmen came, they were asking for the honourable because he was actually the target”.

Timothy Anadeyegh, the chief of the Tiv community living in Gbagalape, narrated his experience. He said: “At about  1a.m, we were at a wake keep when we stared hearing gunshots close by and those who were able to see them said that the armed robbers were over 60. Even the policemen and soldiers that came could not do much given the large number of the robbers and the sophisticated weapons they were carrying”.

Anadeyegh denied any political link to the killings.

FCT Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Anjuguri Manzah, told Sunday Vanguard 14 suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.