Suspected kidnappers raided a hotel in Gauraka community, off the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting seven people, including the hotel owner. The attack occurred around 1 a.m. on Saturday, August 17, 2024.
A resident of Gauraka, identified only as Musa, reported that the kidnappers targeted the hotel and abducted all the lodgers present. The commander of the local security vigilante, Sabo Abdullahi, listed the victims as the hotel’s proprietor, his younger brother and his wife, the hotel manager, and three other guests.
Abdullahi explained that the bandits forced open the hotel gate upon arrival and fired gunshots while leaving with their captives, which alerted the community to the incident.
“There was only one member of the security hunters close to the area and he fled the area on sighting them. On our own side, we were camping around the central part of the town, and it was already late by the time we received the information,” Abdullahi said.
According to Daily Trust, Gauraka community has experienced at least five kidnapping incidents in the past four months, with one occurring just three weeks ago.
Residents have expressed frustration over the ongoing attacks, noting that the gunmen frequently transport their victims to nearby forests in the Apo community and other locations along the Ijah-Koro and Ijah-Gwari Roads, which lead to Bwari town in the Federal Capital Territory.
