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Armed men suspected to be robbers invaded the residences of two senior aides to President Muhammadu Buhari inside the precinct of the Presidential Villa, administration officials and security sources have told Peoples Gazette, raising fears that the rising insecurity across the country was drawing closer to the elite than previously estimated.

The incident on May 9 (yesterday) prompted Ibrahim Gambari and Abubakar Maikano, the chief of staff and admin officer, respectively, to abandon their residences, sources said.

“Their houses were robbed and the robbers packed money and other valuable assets from both houses,” an aide to the informed about the robbery told The Gazette.

It was not immediately clear whether or not valuable documents of state interest were carted away by the intruders, but The Gazette heard that the residences were thoroughly ransacked.

“The robbers took away as much as possible from both places,” a security officer that confirmed the incident said. “What is more unfortunate is that no one has been arrested.”

Officials also said Mr Gambari was given an official residence at the Defence House, but has not been living there, preferring instead to live inside Aso Rock and be close to the president.

Nigeria’s presidential palace just west of the city centre has long been seen as highly fortified and far beyond the reach of burglars, bandits and other criminals currently holding the vast swathes of the country to ransom.

But as criminal activities overshadow other matters of national consequences, Mr Buhari has faced calls to act urgently before it would be too late.

No explanation was immediately rendered for the invasion and why it was not prevented by the ubiquitous contingent of security officers, especially those of the State Security Service, guarding the fortress.

Mr Gambari did not immediately return a request seeking comments.
A spokesman for the SSS said he would not comment on the matter and a spokeswoman for the police in Abuja abruptly disconnected the call upon hearing The Gazette’s enquiry was about a security breach at the Presidential Villa.

About 40 Muslim worshippers were abducted in the early hours of Monday by armed bandits while observing Tahajjud prayers at a mosque in Jibiya town of Katsina State.

The Tahajjud is a special Islamic prayer observed during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Residents of Jibiya town told our correspondent that dozens of men armed with sophisticated weapons struck at the mosque around 2am and took away the worshippers without any resistance.



It was gathered that the kidnappers initially picked 47 congregants, including women and children, but seven later returned.

“So far we established 40 people missing after the attack,” said a resident who spoke in Hausa under the condition of anonymity.

Another resident who volunteered statement, Lawal Jibiya, said neighboring villagers alerted them about the impending attack, after sighting the movements of the bandits heading towards the town.



He said hundreds of youth and local vigilante group in the town were on alert and ready to confront the bandits, but the assailants changed their route and entered the town from the western entry point.

“We were expecting them from the eastern entry point through Daddara, Kukar Babangida or Magama but this time they proceeded beyond the town and camped at Jibawa.

“From Jibawa they then went round to the western entry point near Yunusa Dantauri Hospital and attacked a mosque on the outskirt of the town,” the witness said.

According to him, the bandits did not fire a single shot to attract the security until they finished the operation.
Jibiya, a Nigeria-Niger border town, is one of the major targets of kidnapping and banditry activities.

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