In a shocking attack early Sunday morning, a band of terrorists invaded the Guto area of Bwari Area Council in Abuja, reportedly killing one person and abducting four others.
Sources told Vanguard that the assault began around 12:30 am and spread across the fringes of Guto and Piyawe communities, eventually reaching Tudun-Fulani and Sabon Gari areas.
The armed men, numbering over 30, divided themselves into two groups to attack the communities from different angles, entering Piwaye through the swamps. During the attack, they killed a woman named Madam Alice, who was in her mid-40s, and kidnapped a man. Alice had been visiting her sick mother, who was being cared for by her brother, when she was killed.
The terrorists abducted two victims from their homes in Guto and another person from Tudun-Fulani, which is less than a kilometre from the council secretariat.
A resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, described the ordeal: “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 the vigilance teams who were shooting, but when it became persistent, we knew these people were back again.”
The resident added, “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 that night. One was in Guto while the other group was in Piyawe.
It was obvious those ones came prepared because the sounds we heard through the night suggested they came with sophisticated weapons.”
Another resident of Tudun-Fulani, who also wished to remain unnamed, alleged that the police failed to respond despite frantic calls 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 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.”
The lack of immediate response from security agencies has raised concerns among the residents, who now fear for their safety and the possibility of future attacks. The community is calling for increased security presence and proactive measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.
As the nation grapples with security challenges, this latest attack highlights the urgent need for improved security measures and swift action to protect citizens from such violent acts.
