Bandits Abduct Boy, 6 Teenage Girls from FCT Community

In a chilling raid late Wednesday night, armed bandits abducted a 16-year-old boy and six teenage girls from Gidan-Bijimi, a border community in the Kawu ward of Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The attack has once again highlighted rising insecurity in areas surrounding the nation’s capital.

According to residents, the assailants, armed with AK‑47 rifles, struck around 9:47 p.m., targeting two houses and firing sporadically to terrify inhabitants before forcibly taking the victims into waiting vehicles. Families reportedly fled into the darkness, desperate to avoid the bandits’ onslaught.

The abducted girls, aged between 17 and 23, and the 16-year-old boy are being held by unknown assailants.

Neighbours described the ordeal as traumatic, with many families now living in fear for the safety of their children and youth.

Local vigilante groups attempted to confront the bandits but were overpowered, forcing them to retreat. As of the latest updates, the kidnappers have not contacted the victims’ families or made any ransom demands public.

This incident reflects a troubling trend of kidnappings in FCT and nearby rural areas, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current security measures.

The boldness of the attack — deep inside the territory and near a border community — underscores the urgent need for strengthened policing, intelligence-gathering, and community protection strategies to safeguard residents.