Gunmen have abducted at least 16 residents of the Peze community in the Byazhi area of Kubwa, within Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, during a late-night attack on Tuesday.
The victims include the wife of a local vigilante commander, her younger sister, and four children belonging to a pastor in the area.
According to Residents in the area, the heavily armed attackers stormed the community between about 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., moving from house to house and attempting to force their way into several homes.
A resident who witnessed the incident said the attackers had gathered earlier in an uncompleted building before launching the operation.
“They actually came to my house on Tuesday,” the resident said. “One of my neighbours was watching them from the window. They had gathered in an uncompleted building opposite my house, so they didn’t know someone was observing them.”
According to him, the gunmen began knocking aggressively on doors and moving around houses in an attempt to lure residents into responding.
“They started banging on my door and shouting to see if anyone would react. The way they operate is that once you respond, they break the window to gain entry,” he said.
The resident added that the attackers threatened to kill occupants who refused to open their doors.
“They will tell you that if you don’t open the door, they will break in through the window and kill everyone inside,” he said.
When they failed to gain entry into some homes, the gunmen reportedly moved to other houses where they eventually abducted several residents.
“In total, they kidnapped 16 people,” the resident said.
The Victims
Among those abducted were four children belonging to a pastor in the community.
The resident said the pastor was not at home when the attackers struck.
“When I later went to the pastor’s house, he told me he had stepped out briefly. Before he could return, people started informing him that kidnappers were operating in the area,” the anonymous source said.
“When he rushed back home, he discovered that four of his children had been taken, leaving only the youngest child behind,” the resident added.
Vigilante Commander’s Family Targeted
The attack also affected the family of a vigilante commander who had been helping to organise local security patrols against kidnappers.
According to the resident, the commander had stepped out shortly before the attackers arrived.
“He had just left his house when his neighbour called him and said the attackers had entered one of the houses nearby,” the source said.
The resident explained that the commander rushed to the location mentioned by the neighbour, unaware that the attackers had already surrounded his own home.
“He ran to the place they mentioned, not knowing they had already surrounded his house,” the resident said.
The gunmen reportedly blocked the vigilante commander on the road when he attempted to return and opened fire, forcing him to retreat.
They later entered his house and abducted his wife and her younger sister, who had visited the family a few days earlier.
Residents said the woman had given birth less than 40 days earlier, and the kidnappers left the newborn baby behind.
“They even ate the food she had been cooking before abducting her,” the source said.
Ransom Demands and Security Response
Residents said security operatives later arrived in the community after the attackers had fled with the victims.
According to community members, the kidnappers have since contacted some families and demanded ransom for the release of those abducted.
As of the time of filing this report, attempts to reach Josephine Adeh, spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force in the Federal Capital Territory, were unsuccessful.
Background
Kubwa and other communities within the Bwari Area Council have witnessed repeated cases of kidnapping in recent months.
Residents said a similar incident occurred in the area on January 4, prompting locals to organise vigilante patrols to protect the community.
However, many residents say the security situation has continued to deteriorate despite these efforts.
Community members say the latest attack has heightened fear among residents and exposed the vulnerability of suburban communities around Abuja.
Several residents have called on the Nigeria Police Force and authorities of the Federal Capital Territory to deploy more security personnel to the area and strengthen surveillance to prevent further attacks.
They also urged authorities to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and dismantle kidnapping networks operating around the capital.
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