The heart-wrenching cries of families torn apart by kidnappers have echoed from Kubwa, Abuja, where armed bandits invaded homes, leaving devastation and broken hearts in their wake.
Among the victims is a nursing mother who gave birth less than 40 days ago—now separated from her newborn baby and held captive by ruthless gunmen who stormed the community last week.
Newborn Baby Left Without Mother
Yohanna Ciroma, the distraught husband of the abducted nursing mother, has opened up about the family’s ordeal in an emotional interview with PSN. His voice heavy with anguish, Ciroma described how his wife was taken, leaving their helpless infant in the care of relatives.
“My wife, who is a nursing mother, was also among the kidnapped victims,” Ciroma said, struggling to hold back tears. “Right now, our newborn baby is with my sister, who is taking care of him and feeding him until we can rescue his mother.”
The discovery of the abduction came after Ciroma, who was away from home, asked a colleague to check on his family. What the colleague found sent shivers down their spines.
“When he got there, he said he had been calling my wife but she wasn’t answering. They had broken one of the windows,” Ciroma recounted. “So I rushed back and realised she was not around. We ran into the bush searching everywhere. It is not up to 40 days since she gave birth.”
The emotional toll has been devastating. The baby, separated from his mother during the most crucial bonding period, now depends entirely on formula milk purchased by relatives—a poor substitute for a mother’s embrace.
Four Children Taken in Same Attack
The nightmare doesn’t end there. In the same brazen raid, four children from another family were abducted, leaving their parents in unbearable agony.
Gloria Anotu, the mother of the kidnapped children, made a passionate plea to the government through tears. Her words paint a picture of the horror that unfolded that night.
“What I want the government to do is to help me get my children. My children are the only problem I have now,” she cried. “They didn’t wear any clothes according to people who saw the way they were pushing them. My last girl, six years old, was very sick.”
The attackers didn’t just take children—they looted everything in sight. Gloria described how her home was ransacked, with the bandits carting away food items, clothing, and household belongings.
“They broke into my house, entered inside my room and turned everything upside down,” she said. “There’s nothing they didn’t touch. They went to my store room and packed rice, oil and everything. They packed all my clothes and all my husband’s clothes from the wardrobe.”
“We Are Living as Slaves in Our Own Land”
Tony Anotu, father of the four abducted children, expressed the frustration many Nigerians feel about the worsening security situation in the Federal Capital Territory.
“What we need now is help. We are Nigerians but we are living as slaves in our own land,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion. “The trauma those children are facing pains me. Their daddy is not there, their mummy is not there, and they are now in the hands of strangers with dangerous weapons.”
Tony made a direct appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly leadership, and security agencies to intervene urgently.
“You are there to protect the citizens of Nigeria. We are crying and asking for help,” he pleaded.
Kubwa Under Siege
The Kubwa area of Abuja has increasingly become a target for kidnappers in recent months, with residents living in constant fear. What was once considered a safe neighbourhood in the nation’s capital has now become a hunting ground for criminals who operate with disturbing boldness.
The fact that these attackers had the audacity to invade homes, separate a newborn from its mother, and drag sick children into the bush speaks volumes about the security challenges facing not just Abuja, but Nigeria as a whole.
As these families wait anxiously for news of their loved ones, their cries for help serve as a stark reminder that the insecurity plaguing Nigeria has reached our doorsteps—literally. No one is safe, not even nursing mothers in their own homes.
The question on everyone’s lips remains: How long will Nigerians continue to live in fear in their own country? And more importantly, when will our leaders take decisive action to end this nightmare?
For now, Yohanna Ciroma’s newborn baby continues to cry for a mother who should be there but isn’t—a victim of circumstances beyond his innocent understanding, in a country that seems unable to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
The families are appealing to anyone with information that could help rescue their loved ones to contact security agencies immediately.
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