A 16-year-old boy and six young women have been abd¥cted after b@ndits launched a late-night att@ck on Gidan-Bijimi, a community in Kawu ward of Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The incident occurred around 9:47 p.m. on Wednesday when armed men carrying AK-47 rifles invaded two homes near the Kaduna State boundary and took the victims away amid heavy gvnfire.
A resident of Kawu, Suleiman Shuaibu, confirmed the incident, saying the raid threw the community into panic. He explained that local vigilantes made an attempt to confront the attackers but were forced to retreat due to the b@ndits’ superior weapons.
Shuaibu added that the abducted girls are between 17 and 23 years old.
“It was around 9:53 p.m. when we received a call that b@ndits had invaded Gidan-Bijimi and abducted six young girls. Sadly, my cousin was among those taken,” he said.
The attack prompted some residents to flee the area, and as of the time of this report, the abductors have not made contact with the community.
Efforts to reach SP Josephine Adeh, spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered.
The incident comes just two days after FCT Minister Nyesom Wike ordered security agencies to intensify surveillance around Abuja’s borders. Recently, a joint task force comprising the police, DSS, military, and other security outfits was deployed across the territory to tackle rising insecurity.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller G. Dantawaye, has tasked the joint team to work cohesively to eliminate cr!minal activities, noting that the minister has provided adequate logistics to support the renewed operations.