Seven teenagers — a 16-year-old boy and six girls — have been abducted by armed bandits during a late-night raid on Gidan-Bijimi in Kawu Ward, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Akelicious reports that Gidan-Bijimi shares a boundary with Marke village, near the FCT–Kaduna border, an area that has witnessed repeated bandit incursions in recent months.
Confirming the incident to our correspondent on Thursday morning, a resident of Kawu, Suleiman Shuaibu, said the attackers, armed with AK-47 rifles, stormed two homes around 9:47 p.m. on Wednesday and whisked away the teenagers amid heavy gunfire.
He said the gunmen fired sporadically into the air, causing panic across the community.
According to Shuaibu, community vigilantes attempted to confront the attackers but were overwhelmed by the bandits’ superior firepower and forced to retreat. He added that the abducted girls were aged between 17 and 23.
“It was around 9:53 p.m. when a call came from Gidan-Bijimi that some bandits invaded the village and abducted six young girls. Unfortunately, my cousin sister happened to be among the victims,” he said.
He noted that several residents fled their homes following the attack and that contact had not yet been established with the abductors.
Efforts to reach the FCT Police Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, were unsuccessful as calls and messages were not responded to at the time of filing this report.
The abduction comes barely 48 hours after the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, ordered heightened security deployment across Abuja, with particular emphasis on border communities and key entry points.
Following the directive, Operation Sweep — a joint taskforce comprising the police, military, Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies — was deployed to strategic locations across the territory.
Addressing the joint team, FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Bennett Igweh, had charged personnel to work collaboratively to stamp out criminality and restore public confidence. He noted that the Minister provided the necessary logistics to support the operation and ensure the safety and security of all residents.
Investigations and manhunt operations were ongoing at press time.
