A band of well-armed kidnappers on Monday morning stormed Grow Homes estate within the Chikakore axis of Kubwa - Abuja's largest suburban town - holding residents hostage for over an hour.

Vanguard gathered from terrified residents that the incident happened between 12am and 1:30am.

One resident who confirmed seeing a man and a woman taken away by the kidnappers said at daybreak, the woman was later found within the estate, having been freed by her abductors for unknown reasons.

He, however, could not ascertain the number of persons kidnapped.

"The incident happened around 12am. Those guys were well-armed, and they overpowered the local vigilance team. The police came at about 1am, and there was a fierce exchange of gunfire for about 30 minutes.

"We are begging the government to fix this road for easy access for security patrol vehicles. We also beg the police and, of course, the FCT Administration to help site a station here for rapid response," he said.