Gunmen have abducted a former member of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Friday Makama, and eight others.
They were abducted at Hilltop International Premium Hotel at Tunga-Maje in Gwagwalada Area of the Federal Capital Territory on Wednesday night, according to reports.
WuzupNaigeria gathered that Makama and some of his kinsmen had gathered at the hotel to hold a community reconciliation meeting slated for Thursday.
The meeting it was gathered went late into the night and as they were dispersing the gunmen stormed the premises around 11.27pm and abducted them.
The gunmen were about 15 in number, and they shot indiscriminately into the air, one of the hotel attendants who did not want his name mentioned said.
He said,” Yesterday (Wednesday), a group of people came here for a community reconciliation meeting scheduled to hold here today (Thursday) but they had a caucus meeting in the evening around 10pm.
“They booked rooms here and booked extra for people arriving today. Not long after they finished their meeting and were about to leave around 11.27pm, suddenly a group of gunmen over 15 invaded the hotel premises and shot sporadically into the air as they went through the back and took some people away.
“Some of them came in while the others surrounded the hotel and ensured that no one ran. They brought back those who attempted to.”
The manager of the hotel, Adejoh Maquile, said he would have been killed had he not dodged one of the shots aimed at him.
”I counted about 45 pallets of bullets. Among them are some with the military. colour. I would have been dead but had to dodge the bullet. The walls of the hotel were riddled with bullets,” he said.
When asked if he had an idea of the number of persons kidnapped by the gunmen he said, “Those who were abducted are Friday Makama; the hotel’s Managing Director, Frederick Adejo; a pharmacist and his driver; and about three people that came with the honourable, he told The PUNCH.
“The security man was shot and was taken along with them. Also taken along is the accountant of the hotel and a female fun seeker. These are the ones I can account for. They are nine but there could be others.”
The police spokesperson in the FCT, Mariam Yusuf confirmed the incident.
She noted that the command had launched a strategic operation to rescue the victims unhurt.
