Locals seek help over bandits’ attacks in Abuja suburbs

Residents of Peze and Kungabokun communities in the Byazhin-Across area of Kubwa, a satellite town in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have shared harrowing accounts of recent kidnappings in the area. They reported that suspected armed terrorists, in large numbers, have continued to attack the area—which is bordered by hills […]

Residents of Peze and Kungabokun communities in the Byazhin-Across area of Kubwa, a satellite town in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have shared harrowing accounts of recent kidnappings in the area.

They reported that suspected armed terrorists, in large numbers, have continued to attack the area—which is bordered by hills and bushes—moving from house to house to abduct residents, including women and children.

Several residents who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) stated that the repeated attacks have heightened their fears, and they called on the Federal Government to take immediate, decisive action.

A resident, Philip Ikechukwu, said no fewer than 20 people had been kidnapped within the last two weeks.

“We have been living in fear. These terrorists have been raiding us, shooting guns and abducting men, women, and even children. Some have escaped, while a man and a woman were released only after paying a N500,000 ransom,” he said. Ikechukwu noted that while a joint security patrol of soldiers, police, and civil defense officers is now on the ground, the distance to the Byazhin Divisional Police Station remains a major concern.

Chief Kalu Uma, who has lived in the neighboring Ijayapi community for 29 years, described the recent menace as a new and worrying development, urging the government to strengthen security in the increasingly porous environment.

Pastor Tony Anotu of the Revival Family Church, whose four children (aged 6 to 16) were kidnapped on March 3 and rescued on Saturday, described the experience as “harrowing.”

“The kidnappers left my baby of about three and a half years. Each time I tried to sleep, I would see their pictures and wake up, wondering how they were feeling inside the forest,” he said pensively.

Pastor Anotu confirmed his children were rescued by security personnel without a ransom payment.

He also confirmed that a vigilante member’s wife and her sister were rescued in the same operation.

“The gunmen left her two-month-old baby but took her sister who had come to help her,” he added.

He appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for a permanent security solution.

Chief Saidu Ibrahim, the Village Head of Peze, expressed devastation over the continued attacks and suggested the presence of local informants.

“On Tuesday of this week, they entered the community again, firing bullets and taking about seven people,” Ibrahim said.

He noted that at least 16 people were kidnapped from his ward during this period and that a formal letter has been sent to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Police Area Command requesting a permanent security base.

In Kungabokun, the Village Head, Chief Jagaba Ishaya, said a vigilante officer was killed and several others abducted from a poultry farm and a former naval officer’s residence.

Speaking through an interpreter, he emphasized the need for better equipment: “You cannot face a person coming with an AK-47 using an inferior weapon. Our vigilantes need to be empowered.”

While the Byazhin DPO, Christopher Owujie, declined to comment, the FCT Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed that several victims had been rescued through a joint effort by the Police, Military, and DSS.

She stated that during the gun battle, some terrorists were neutralized, others escaped with bullet wounds, and two suspects were arrested.

She emphasized that classified details of ongoing security strategies remain confidential for public safety.