Suspected armed attackers have reportedly killed a local vigilante and abducted four residents during a late-night raid on the Paze community in the Byazhin area of Kubwa, within the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The attackers, said to be about eight in number, reportedly invaded the neighbourhood around midnight and targeted homes in an area commonly referred to as “Back of Catholic Church.”
During the attack, a local security guard identified as Shuaibu Yerima was shot dead while attempting to defend the community. The assailants also abducted four residents, including a pastor, Francis Oriade of the All Christian Fellowship Mission in Maitama, Abuja, alongside three others, including an 11-year-old boy.
Residents said the gunmen broke into homes through doors and windows, using tools to force entry where necessary, before rounding up victims at gunpoint. In some cases, families were reportedly tied up, robbed of valuables, and forced to watch as their loved ones were taken away.
Eyewitness accounts from relatives of the victims described a terrifying operation that lasted several minutes, during which the attackers moved from house to house selecting individuals to abduct.
One family member of an abducted victim said security operatives arrived shortly after the attackers had left the area but were unable to immediately pursue them.
Another relative of the abducted pastor said the attackers forced entry into their home after initially failing to break down the door, later dragging the victim out of his room while assaulting him.
A separate account from another victim’s family revealed that the attackers struck shortly after residents returned home from work, using a window to gain access before abducting a husband after initially targeting other family members.
The mother of the abducted 11-year-old boy said the attackers held a gun to her head, demanded money, and eventually took her son after she pleaded for his safety.
Residents confirmed that the slain vigilante was part of a local security arrangement tasked with protecting the community and was later buried following funeral prayers.
The incident comes days after a similar attack in a nearby community, raising concerns about increasing insecurity in the area and prompting renewed calls for stronger security intervention.
Authorities say investigations are ongoing, with security operatives reportedly tracking the movement of the attackers.
