Armed rustlers have shot dead two German tourists in a bush bordering Kaduna state and the Federal Capital Territory.
The incident was said to have occurred between Runji and Idu in the Bwari Area Council Abuja very close to the boundary with Kaduna and Nasarawa states.
Police in Abuja confirmed that the deceased men were Germans and their bodies have been retrieved from the scene.
The tourists who were riding motorcycles were mistaken for vigilantes by the rustlers who were said to be moving with dozens of cattle stolen from Kaduna state.
An eye witness in a nearby Kawu village in the FCT, Abdullahi Musa said tourists have frequented the area in the last three years and mostly visited historical areas including the Kawu rock cave. “The white men have been coming to our village and neighboring villages for sightseeing and two of them were killed by cattle thieves recently.
The rustlers had moved away large number of cattle from the Kagarko area in Kaduna state and were on their way toward a thick forest in the border areas. They had earlier exchanged fire with some vigilantes in search of stolen herds but they retreated thereafter.
“When the thieves passed Runji they heard the engine of motorcycles and hide in the shrubs. When first rider moved closer to where they were hiding the shot him in the head and chest and he died instantly. They also shot his colleague in the leg and lower abdomen and he felled. The rustlers then got near the victims and found that the one they shot in the leg was alive. They slaughtered him and left.”
He said the matter was reported to the police who later stormed the area together with soldiers.
Police officers in Jere and Gagarko in Kaduna State confirmed that the incidence was not in their areas of jurisdiction.
However, the police public relations officer in FCT assistant superintendent Peter Okechukwu said the tourists were German nationals working with Julius Berger Construction Company in Abuja. He said they have been going to the area through Kaduna state at their leisure hours but without police knowledge and protection. He said they were killed by rustlers.
“The German tourists were killed by rustlers on ‘Boxing Day’ and their bodies were recovered. The rustlers thought they were policemen on patrol on power bikes trying to arrest them. They ambushed them.”
He said investigation is being done to trace the rustlers in conjunction with officers from the police headquarters but no arrest was made yet.
In a related development rustlers were said to have moved large number cattle from Kudiru village in Kagarko, Kaduna state on Tuesday.
Source: Daily Trust
