Residents Recount Ordeal as Kidnappers Terrorise Abuja’s Kubwa Suburbs

Residents of Peze and Kugabonku communities in the Byazhin-Across area of Kubwa, within Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have recounted their frightening experiences following a wave of kidnappings that has unsettled the neighbourhood.

The residents, who spoke with the newsmen on Sunday, said armed attackers suspected to be terrorists had repeatedly invaded the communities, abducting men, women and children while moving from house to house in the largely rural area surrounded by hills and thick bushes.

According to them, the attacks, which began about two weeks ago, have left the communities gripped by fear, with many calling on the Federal Government to urgently strengthen security in the area.

A resident, Philip Ikechukwu, said at least 20 people had been kidnapped in the past two weeks.

“We have been living in fear. The attackers come shooting and abducting people, including children, moving from one house to another,” he said.

He explained that while some victims managed to escape, others had to pay ransom to secure their release. Ikechukwu added that security operatives had recently rescued several victims, including the four children of a pastor who were abducted earlier in the week.

He noted that although joint patrols involving soldiers, police and civil defence officers had been deployed to the area, the absence of a nearby police station remained a major concern.

Chief Kalu Uma, a resident of nearby Ijayapi community, said kidnapping was a recent but rapidly growing threat in the area.

“I have lived here for 29 years and this kind of situation is new. The attacks keep shifting from one community to another, and it is very worrying,” he said, urging the government to take urgent action to prevent further attacks.

Pastor Tony Anotu of Revival Family Church, whose four children were kidnapped on March 3 and later rescued by security operatives, described the experience as deeply traumatic.

According to him, the kidnappers left behind his three-and-a-half-year-old child but took four others aged between six and 16.

“Throughout the time they were in captivity, I could not sleep. Anytime I tried to rest, their images would come to my mind and I would wake up thinking about what they might be going through in the forest,” he said.

Anotu confirmed that the children were rescued without any ransom payment and were freed alongside a vigilante leader’s wife and her sister who were abducted the same day.

He appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to intervene and improve security in the affected communities.

The Village Head of Peze Community, Chief Saidu Ibrahim, said the continued attacks had left residents devastated.

He explained that gunmen had repeatedly invaded the area, abducting residents and demanding ransom. In one instance, he said, two victims were released after their families reportedly paid about N500,000.

Ibrahim also raised concerns about possible informants within the community, saying the attackers appeared to have detailed knowledge of the area.

Similarly, the Village Head of Kugabonku community, Chief Jagaba Ishaya, described the situation as alarming.

He said gunmen recently abducted a former naval officer and his two daughters, while four others were kidnapped at a poultry farm during the same attack. A vigilante member was also reportedly killed during the incident.

According to him, the vigilante group operating in the area lacks adequate equipment to confront heavily armed attackers.

“You cannot confront gunmen carrying AK-47 rifles with inferior weapons. Our vigilantes need government support to function effectively,” he said.

Members of the local vigilante group also called on authorities to provide logistics and improved security presence to help tackle the menace.

NAN observed that security personnel from the military, police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had been deployed to the communities.

The Divisional Police Officer of Byazhin, Christopher Owujie, declined to comment on the incident, referring enquiries to the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh.

Adeh said the police, working with the Nigerian Army Guards Brigade, the Department of State Services (DSS) and local vigilantes, launched a coordinated rescue operation between March 6 and March 7 after receiving intelligence on the kidnappers’ movements.

According to her, the suspects had fled from ongoing security operations in Gauraka Forest in Niger State and moved into forests in neighbouring Kaduna State with their captives.

She said security operatives engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle that lasted over an hour.

“Through superior tactics and firepower, the operatives subdued the criminals. Some suspects were neutralised while two others‏ Nura Sani and Abdul Bello were arrested,” she said.

Adeh added that the operation led to the rescue of 20 kidnapped victims, comprising 10 men and 10 women, who had been abducted from communities in the FCT and parts of Niger State.