Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a businessman, Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed Keche, shortly after he observed Isha’i prayers at a mosque in Dabi Bako, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A resident of the community, Ibrahim Suleiman, told Daily Trust on Thursday, August 27, 2026, that the incident occurred on Monday, shortly after Keche finished praying at a mosque close to his residence.
According to Suleiman, the victim was on his way home when suspected kidnappers, armed with AK-47 rifles, emerged from a tinted, unmarked vehicle, forced him inside and drove away amid sporadic gunshots.
He said two members of the gang had earlier positioned themselves around the mosque before the others emerged from the vehicle and abducted the businessman.
“The way the operation was carried out clearly shows that the gunmen had been monitoring the man’s movement because the operation was like a movie,” Suleiman said.
Suleiman, whose house is close to the mosque, said he initially thought the strange sound he heard was an electrical spark before realising that it was gunfire.
Another resident, who sells provisions near the mosque but requested anonymity, said he immediately locked himself inside his shop after hearing the gunshots.
He said he only came out after the kidnappers had left, before locking up his shop and returning home.
The resident added that he had noticed a cyclist moving suspiciously around the area shortly before the incident.
“Even before the incident happened, I saw an okada man moving around the place. He was going slowly and coming back, which made me suspicious because people were still praying inside the mosque at the time. It was after the prayers that I started hearing gunshots,” he said.
The source said he suspected that the cyclist may have been an informant for the kidnappers.
Keche, who is married to two wives, is reportedly involved in land business and politics.
The spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, said she was not aware of the latest abduction but promised to make inquiries from the Kwali Police Division and revert.
