Bandits raided Gidan-Bijimi in Kawu ward of Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday night, November 27, abducting six young girls and a 16-year-old boy during a late-night attack on the border community.
Residents said the victims had travelled from Kubacha in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State to attend the burial of a relative.
The community sits along the FCT–Kaduna boundary, a corridor that has witnessed repeated assaults by armed groups.
A resident, Suleiman Shuaibu, told Daily Trust that the attackers arrived at about 9:47 p.m., firing shots as they moved from house to house.
He explained that the gunmen first targeted the home of a man known as Waha, but after failing to find him, they stormed a neighbouring compound where the guests were staying.
He said the bandits seized all seven victims before fleeing into the surrounding bush.
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According to him, the gunfire forced many residents to flee, though some later returned after the attackers withdrew.
Shuaibu added that local vigilantes attempted to resist the attack but were overwhelmed, saying the gunmen had “superior firepower.”
The abduction came hours after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the President said he had “decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces,” adding that the police would enlist an extra 20,000 officers.
When a Daily Trust correspondent visited the area on Thursday, security operatives were seen mounting checkpoints and ambush positions around the community.
The Divisional Police Officer for Bwari Division, Babayola Musa, and the DPO of the Rapid Response Squad, Zanna Maikudi, also visited and confirmed the incident.