In the early hours of Sunday, June 30, terrorists launched a renewed attack on the Bwari Area Council, resulting in the reported kidnapping of over four individuals and the death of another in the Guto area.
Eyewitnesses reported that the assault began around 12:30 am, targeting the outskirts of Guto and Piyawe communities, and extending into the Tudun-Fulani and Sabon Gari areas, both located in the headquarters of Bwari Area Council.
Residents noted that two separate groups of attackers, comprising over 30 kidnappers, infiltrated the area council. They surrounded the communities, fired sporadically, and forcibly entered homes, causing widespread fear and panic.
According to eyewitnesses, the invaders entered Piwaye through the swamps and made their way to Guto and Piyawe, where they kidnapped a man and killed a woman in her mid-forties. The deceased, known as Madam Alice, had only been visiting her sick mother who stays with her brother in Bwari when she met her tragic end.
Two victims were allegedly abducted from their homes in Guto, while another person was kidnapped from Tudun-Fulani, which is less than a kilometre from the council Secretariat.
A resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the attackers operated from 12:30 am to 2:30 am with no challenge from security agencies. “What happened last night was very unfortunate. We couldn’t sleep from 12:30 am when they started till almost three o’clock. Initially, we thought it was vigilantes shooting, but when it became persistent, we knew these people were back again. We have had peace for some time now, but unfortunately, they have resumed and this time with full force because it was two groups that entered Bwari yesterday. One was in Guto, while the other group was in Piyawe. It was obvious those came prepared, because the sounds we heard through the night suggest they came with sophisticated weapons.”
Another resident of Tudun-Fulani, who wished to remain unnamed, alleged that the police failed to respond even when frantic calls were made to the divisional headquarters in Bwari. “We felt so helpless because the kidnappers operated for over an hour, but there was no police or army to challenge them. I called my neighbour when the shooting started and he said he had already called the police. We waited for them to show up for 20 minutes and when we didn’t hear the sounds of sirens, we called again, but they kept telling us they were on their way. We never saw them until the kidnappers left on their own.”
Bwari Area Council had been in the news earlier this year when bandits and kidnappers overran the area council, abducting people for ransom. Notably, 400-level student of ABU Zaria, Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, and 13-year-old Folashade Ariyo were both kidnapped in separate attacks in Bwari and Dutse-Alhaji, respectively. Both victims were later killed by their abductors following failure to secure their release on time.
Attempts to get a response from the police regarding the latest attack have been unsuccessful, as phone calls and WhatsApp messages sent to the Police Public Relations Officer for the FCT Command, Josephine Adeh, have gone unanswered.
