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 were riding motorcycles, but mistaken for members of the local vigilante group in the area by the rustlers. The rustlers were said to be moving dozens of cattle allegedly stolen from Kaduna State across the border into Nasarawa State.

A witness in a nearby Kawu village in the FCT, Abdullahi Musa, said tourists were frequent in 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 hid in the shrubs. When the first rider moved closer to where they were hiding they shot him in the head and chest and he died instantly. They also shot his colleague in the leg and lower abdomen and he fell. 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 has been reported to the police by members of the vigilante group in the area who later stormed the area together with soldiers. Police officers in Jere and Kagarko in Kaduna State confirmed that the incident was not in their areas of jurisdiction.

However, the police public relations officer in FCT Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Peter Okechukwu, in a telephone interview with our Correspondent, 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 also alleged 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 was on to trace the rustlers but no arrest has been made yet. In a related development, rustlers were said to have moved large number of cattle from Kudiru village in Kagarko, Kaduna State on Tuesday.