Terrorists’ threat letter triggers mass exodus in Abuja communities

Many residents of Kungaboku and Paze communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja have fled their homes following a letter by suspected bandits threatening coordinated attacks.

In the letter allegedly found in a pupil’s school bag in a private school, the bandits vowed to attack Kungaboku and neighbouring Paze to avenge their commander’s killing.

It would be recalled that on March 7, troops of the 7 Guards Battalion, Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army, with police and vigilantes, rescued 19 kidnapped victims.

The victims, mostly residents of Paze and Kungaboku, regained their freedom during a coordinated search and rescue operation conducted around Gidan Dogo in Bwari Area Council.

During the operation, troops reportedly killed a bandit, while others fled the scene with suspected gunshot wounds. Further exploitation of the area led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle and one locally fabricated firearm.

The threat letter was reportedly discovered in a pupil’s note- book at a private school in Paze by a teacher while marking the child’s homework.

After raising the alarm, the pupil, parents, teacher and school authorities were picked up, interrogated, profiled and later released by the police.

Meanwhile, news of the threat spread rapidly, with residents sharing the information across various community groups and social media platforms.

To worsen matters, a day before the letter surfaced, suspected bandits attacked a Fulani settlement in Kungaboku, kidnapped three women and demanded a N70 million ransom.

Kungaboku and Paze, near Byazhin, an extension of Kubwa in Bwari Area Council, have witnessed several violent attacks recently.