At least seven people were kidnapped from Gidan-Bijimi, a village in Kawu Ward, Bwari Area Council, Abuja, on Wednesday night, just hours after President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency.
According to residents, gunmen stormed the village around 10 p.m., firing indiscriminately before abducting the victims. Eyewitnesses said the attackers came from the border area between Abuja and Kaduna State, leaving the community in panic.
Suleiman Shuaibu, whose cousin was among those abducted, confirmed that the victims included a 16-year-old boy and six girls aged between 17 and 23. “Around 9:53 p.m., a call came from Gidan-Bijimi that bandits had invaded the village and kidnapped six young girls. Unfortunately, my cousin was among them,” he said.
Shuaibu added that local vigilantes tried to intervene but were overpowered by the gunmen’s superior firepower.
The abduction occurred less than 24 hours after President Tinubu announced a nationwide security emergency to tackle rising bandit attacks in states including Kwara, Niger, and Kebbi. The measures include recruiting 20,000 police officers and 30,000 military personnel, converting NYSC camps into training depots, withdrawing police escorts from high-profile officials, and deploying State Security Service operatives to flush out bandits from forest hideouts.
