By Palang Paul
A wave of fear has gripped the Peze community in the Byazhi area of Kubwa, Bwari Area Council Abuja the Nigeria Federal Capital Territory, after a brutal attack by armed men on Tuesday night left at least 16 residents abducted. The victims include the children of a local pastor and the family of a community vigilante leader.
According to eyewitnesses, the heavily armed gang launched their operation between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., systematically moving from house to house in a bid to gain entry. A resident, who watched the horrifying scene unfold, recounted seeing the attackers assemble in an uncompleted building opposite his home before commencing their raid.
“They went door-to-door, violently forcing their way in. They would bang on doors and shout, and if anyone responded, they’d break the windows to get inside,” the traumatized resident explained.
The assailants abducted anyone they could lay their hands on, issuing death threats to deter resistance. Among those taken are the four children of a pastor who was briefly away from home when the attack happened.
In a particularly distressing incident, the home of the community’s vigilante commander was singled out. The commander himself narrowly escaped the clutches of the kidnappers after they blocked his path as he was returning home around 10 p.m. In his absence, the gunmen broke into his house and seized his wife and her visiting sister. A newborn baby in the home was, for reasons unknown, left behind.
Security forces are reported to have arrived at the scene only after the gunmen had fled with their captives into the night. It has since been learned that the kidnappers have made contact with the families of the victims, demanding ransom payments for their release.
This latest incident has compounded the sense of insecurity in the Peze community, which has been plagued by a series of abductions in recent weeks.
The persistent attacks had previously pushed residents to form local vigilante patrols for protection. In the wake of this mass abduction, community leaders are urgently appealing to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration and the police command to bolster security and take decisive action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
At the time of this report, calls to the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, for an official response had not been answered.
Palang Paul reports on security and conflicts for The Nigeria Times.
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