Some residents of Kuje Area Council have expressed concern over rising criminal activities by hoodlums in the Kuje Forest Market, located along Gwagwalada road in the area.
A resident, Shuaibu Suleiman, who spoke with our reporter, on Wednesday, said gangs of hoodlums have taken advantage of the forest to attack passers-by, especially at night.
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He said, “Two days ago, my brother, who left the house around 8:23 pm to buy recharge card by the roadside, was attacked with a machete by some criminals who dispossessed him of his money and mobile phone at the forest market.”
He said after waiting for some time without seeing his brother return, he went out to look for him, only to run into him with blood all over him.
‘‘He was attacked while coming back home by some hoodlums’’, he said.
A resident, Mr Vincent Abraham, said the hoodlums have always engaged in criminal activities in the forest, such as smoking of Indian hemp, rape and snatching of motorcycles and handbags from passers-by along the forest at night.
“Just last week, some policemen raided the forest and arrested some people smoking Indian hemp,” he said.
He urged the authorities of the council to urgently take measures to check the activities of the hoodlums in and around the forest market.
“You can also recall that just recently, there was a security threat by Boko Haram who were said to have established camps in different places in the FCT.
“I want to suggest that the government should do something about the forest market so that terrorists do not hide there,” he said.