By Fatima Mukhtar
Residents of Gidan-Bijimi in Kawu Ward of Bwari Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), were thrown into panic in the early hours of Thursday as armed bandits invaded the community and abducted a 16-year-old boy and six teenage girls.
The attackers, reported to be heavily armed, stormed the village around midnight and moved from house to house, targeting families with young children. The victims were taken away into the nearby forest before security personnel could arrive.
Local sources said the assailants fired sporadic shots during the operation, forcing terrified residents to flee into the surrounding bushes for safety. Many households reportedly woke up to find their doors broken and belongings scattered.
A resident who spoke to reporters said the gunmen operated for over an hour without resistance due to the difficult terrain and the absence of immediate security response. “People ran in all directions. The community is in shock because this is the first time they abducted this number of young people at once,” the source said.
This latest attack adds to a growing list of security breaches in Bwari Area Council, where bandits have increasingly targeted rural settlements. Just days earlier, police operatives repelled a similar attack in Guto Village, also in Bwari, where one officer was killed during a confrontation with armed men attempting to abduct a family.
Security experts have repeatedly warned that communities on the outskirts of Abuja are becoming soft targets for criminal gangs fleeing intensified operations in neighbouring states.
The FCT Police Command has yet to release an official statement regarding the Gidan-Bijimi abductions, but local vigilante groups have reportedly begun combing the forests in search of the victims.
Residents are calling on the government to deploy more security personnel to vulnerable communities and improve intelligence gathering to prevent further attacks.
The kidnapping of minors, especially teenage girls, has become a disturbing trend across northern Nigeria, following similar incidents recorded in Kebbi, Niger, and Kwara states in recent weeks.
The search for the abducted children is ongoing, and families remain anxiously hopeful for their safe return.
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