Barely a week after a police officer was killed in Guto, Bwari Area Council has again come under attack, with bandits abducting six young girls and a 16-year-old boy during a late-night raid on Gidan-Bijimi, a settlement in Kawu ward.
The attack occurred around 9:47 pm on Wednesday when armed men wielding AK-47 rifles stormed two homes, firing repeatedly into the air before escaping with their victims.
Kawu, which borders Kaduna State, sits close to the Gidan Dogo and Kweti forests – long-known transit routes and hideouts for criminal gangs operating along the FCT–Kaduna corridor.
Gidan-Bijimi itself lies near Marke village, a zone that has witnessed rising criminal activity in recent months.
The latest abduction comes just days after gunmen invaded Guto, another boundary community in Bwari, where the FCT Police Command reported that about 30 attackers attempted to kidnap a family. Two assailants were killed in that incident, while a policeman lost his life.
A resident of Kawu, Suleiman Shuaibu, confirmed that the abducted girls were between 17 and 23 years old.
“I got a call around 9:53 pm that bandits had invaded the village. They abducted six young girls. Unfortunately, my cousin sister is among the victims,” he said, noting that a teenage boy was also taken.
Shuaibu added that members of the local vigilance group attempted to confront the gunmen but withdrew due to the attackers’ superior firepower.
Several residents fled into nearby bushes, while others hid indoors until morning. As of Thursday, there had been no contact from the kidnappers, and police had yet to officially confirm the incident.
The abduction has deepened concerns over the worsening security situation in Bwari Area Council, prompting renewed calls for stronger protection across communities bordering Kaduna and Niger states.
In response to rising anxieties, the Federal Capital Territory Administration on Wednesday announced fresh security measures following an expanded meeting of the FCT Security Council chaired by Minister Nyesom Wike.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, said the council had fully activated Operation Sweep, a multi-agency security response reorganised to tackle emerging threats.
He said the operation now covers four major sectors, including Gwagwalada, Bwari and two corridors stretching across the city centre from Berger and Wuse through Karu, Mararaba, Karshi and Orozo.
According to him, the minister has provided “adequate logistics” for joint deployment of personnel from the police, military, DSS, NSCDC, FRSC, Immigration Service, Correctional Service and other agencies.
Despite the measures, Wednesday night’s attack underscores the vulnerability of remote communities and the growing audacity of criminal groups pushing toward the capital.
Residents said they now live in constant fear and appealed for urgent action to rescue the victims and halt what many described as a slide into daily terror.
