A fresh wave of insecurity has hit the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) after armed bandits abducted a 16-year-old boy and six girls from Gidan-Bijimi, a small settlement in Kawu ward of Bwari Area Council. The attack, which occurred late Wednesday night, has thrown residents into fear and renewed calls for stronger security presence around Abuja’s border communities.
Residents said the gunmen stormed the area around 9:47 p.m., firing sporadically to scare locals before breaking into two homes where the victims were seized. The attackers, reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and moving in large numbers, operated with little resistance as villagers fled into nearby bushes for safety.
A resident, Suleiman Shuaibu, confirmed that the bandits moved from house to house while firing shots. According to him, the vigilante groups attempted to engage the gunmen but were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the attackers. The vigilantes were eventually forced to retreat after a short exchange.
The victims, all young people between the ages of 16 and 23, were taken away toward a forest path that leads toward the boundary between Bwari and Kaduna State. The remote location of Gidan-Bijimi, combined with its proximity to known bandit routes, has made it especially vulnerable to repeated assaults by criminal gangs.
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As of Thursday morning, the kidnappers had not contacted the families of the victims, and no ransom demand had been confirmed. Community leaders say this silence has intensified anxiety among relatives, some of whom have begun relocating their children to safer areas.
The incident comes barely days after the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, announced enhanced security surveillance across the territory. A joint task force involving the police, DSS, military, and paramilitary agencies had been deployed to strategic locations, but residents say these deployments rarely extend to remote border villages.
Security experts have repeatedly warned that villages on the outskirts of Abuja remain the weakest link in the FCT security architecture. Many of these communities, including Gidan-Bijimi, lack consistent patrols, functional communication channels, and rapid response mechanisms during emergencies.
Local officials in Bwari Area Council have condemned the attack and called on security agencies to launch a prompt rescue operation. They also urged the federal government to fortify surveillance around routes linking Abuja to neighboring Kaduna and Niger states, which have become notorious for kidnapping activities.
Meanwhile, fear has gripped residents of nearby villages as rumors spread of possible further attacks. Some families have begun sending their children away, while others are appealing for urgent government intervention to prevent an escalation of insecurity in the region.
As the search for the abducted young people continues, community leaders, security personnel, and worried families await a decisive response that will hopefully bring the victims home safely and restore a sense of safety to Bwari’s border communities.
