An uneasy calm has begun to settle over the Federal Capital Territory following a high-stakes, multi-agency rescue mission which has freed 20 abducted residents including four children of a family.
Between March 6 and March 7, 2026, a joint force—comprising the FCT Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Nigerian Army Guards Brigade, the DSS, and local vigilantes—tracked a notorious kidnap gang from the Gauraka Forest in Niger State to the dense thickets of Gidan Dogo and Kweri in Kaduna State.
The operation reached a violent crescendo when tactical teams stormed the kidnappers’ hideout.
A fierce firefight ensued, lasting over 90 minutes as the suspects attempted to repel the advance.
The security team eventually gained the upper hand, neutralizing several gunmen and capturing two suspects, Nura Sani and Abdul Bello.
While the victims were successfully liberated, several gang members managed to retreat into the rugged hills, reportedly suffering from gunshot wounds.
At the end of the operation, twenty kidnapped victims—ten males and ten females—were rescued. Authorities said the victims had been abducted from communities in Byazhin District of the FCT as well as Gauraka and Tafa areas in Niger State.
Security operatives also recovered one AK-47 rifle with breech number 90-17147, a magazine loaded with twenty rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, and a locally fabricated firearm.
The rescued individuals were immediately taken to the hospital for medical examination and treatment.
Those rescued include Olowa Tosin, Blessing Titi, Success Anthony, Victor Anthony, Angel Anthony, Flourish Anthony, Oniwola Ganiyu, Mercy Jafia, Bashir Umar (35), Hannatu Yohanna, James Raphael, Danjuma Joy, Pastor Bulus Ganiyu, Abdulmumini Adamu, Abubakar Garba, Ruth Precious, Idris Ayuba, Damina Precious, Tanko Jeji, and Isah Bello.
The development comes days after a disturbing incident in Paze community in the Byazhi area of Kubwa, within the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, where gunmen stormed residential homes and abducted several people, including children.
Persecondnews recalls from a prior coverage of the incident after the attack on March 4, during an interview with residents that the attack had left the community in panic as armed men reportedly invaded the home of a pastor and took away four children believed to be between the ages of 16 and 8 years
Other victims reportedly included the wife of a local vigilante commander who had just been delivered of a baby as well as her younger sister.
Persecondnews reports that Paze community lies in a rapidly expanding but largely underdeveloped part of Kubwa, surrounded by rugged terrain and hills that residents say have become convenient hideouts for criminal groups operating across state borders.
Persecondnews correspondents, who visited the area shortly after the attack, report that residents were still visibly shaken.
Bullet holes could be seen on some buildings following a brief exchange of gunfire between the attackers and members of the community vigilante group.
One resident recounted how the kidnappers arrived and forced their way into a house where several children were staying.
“They carried many people. That house there—they went inside and took four children,” the resident said. “Those children belong to my aunt. They just came and took all of them away.”
The resident added that another woman who had recently given birth was also taken by the gunmen, leaving her three-week-old baby behind at home.
“We are begging the government to come to our rescue and stop this kidnapping problem,” the resident said, adding that the nearest police division was located far from the community.
At the residence where the children were abducted, the pastor whose family was affected described how the incident unfolded.
He said he had just returned from a meeting with members of his church when the attack occurred.
“After the meeting with my prayer warrior leader, I went to my wife’s shop and told her to give me something to eat,” he said. “While we were there, I saw a police Hilux pass with a siren.”
Shortly afterward, he said, a neighbour rushed to inform him that armed men had broken into his house.
“He said, ‘Pastor, I heard them hitting your house. Your children are crying.’ That was when we realised what had happened,” he said.
According to him, joint security patrols involving the military, police, and other agencies were already moving through the area at the time, attempting to track down the kidnappers.
Appealing to authorities for help, the pastor called on the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue those still in captivity.
“I am calling on the President and all the security agencies in Nigeria to please help my family recover my four children,” he said.
His wife also expressed fear over the growing insecurity in the area, saying the community had experienced repeated visits by suspected kidnappers in recent days.
“We are afraid every minute and every hour,” she said. “Even before this incident, they have been coming around since Tuesday and taking people.”
The commander of the local vigilante group, whose wife was among those abducted, said the community volunteers had tried to respond quickly after receiving information about the attackers’ presence.
“Someone told us the kidnappers had come around,” he said. “We quickly ran in the direction they said they went. We did not know they were hiding in the forest.”
He said the armed men confronted the vigilante members as they approached.
“They saw us with guns and engaged us,” he added.
Residents say the area has experienced repeated incidents of kidnapping in recent months, fuelling anxiety among families and business owners.
While the latest rescue operation has brought relief to several affected families, security officials have urged caution in reporting details of such incidents while operations are still ongoing.
Spokesperson for the FCT Command, SP Josephine Adeh, in a press statement, appealed to the media and social media users to avoid circulating unverified information that could endanger victims or compromise rescue efforts.
Commenting on the incident, Police Commissioner Miller G. Dantawaye, commended the officers and collaborating agencies involved in the operation for what he described as their gallantry and professionalism.
He also urged residents of the territory to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements or individuals to security authorities through the command’s emergency numbers.
For the affected families, the relief is only partial.
Their immediate priority is the recovery of those still unaccounted for, coupled with a demand for bolstered security in neighborhoods they describe as “vulnerable corridors” for cross-border crime.
Author
Leave a comment