Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers launched a deadly attack on the Byazhin area of Kubwa, a satellite town in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in the early hours of Thursday, June 4, 2026, killing a local vigilante and abducting at least four residents. Witnesses said the armed assailants stormed the community around 12:28 a.m., raiding homes and forcing their victims out before escaping into the surrounding forests. The attack has heightened fears among residents of Abuja’s outskirts, where abductions and violent crimes have become increasingly frequent, often with delayed response from security agencies.
A resident of the Ajayapi community within the Byazhin axis, who gave her name as Ene Ameh, told reporters that the assault began shortly after midnight near the Holy Spirit Catholic Church. “I heard the gunshot in my house around 12:28 a.m. One of the vigilantes who engaged them was killed,” she said. Ameh added that she did not see the attackers but was informed by another resident at the scene that the gunmen appeared to be “young boys.” According to her account, the assailants operated for a brief period before escaping with their victims. The police, she said, arrived roughly an hour after the attack was over. “The police came after the abduction. I saw them around 1:26 a.m. They just asked questions up and down and left,” she lamented.
Another resident, identified as Andy Eze, disclosed that the kidnappers also stole a bag of rice from one of the homes they invaded. The victims, he said, included an 11-year-old boy named Delight, the husband of a woman who sells garri in the local market, and a man who had only recently relocated to the neighbourhood. “The woman is just outside now with her children. They are all crying. They said the woman’s husband just went abroad and the woman is selling garri in the small market in our area. Maybe they thought now that he went abroad, he has gotten money,” Ameh told reporters. “One of the people they took, the man just moved into the area on Sunday. Now they have gone and carried him.” A separate report by NaijaBlitzNews identified other abducted victims as a man known as “50” and another simply called “Akin.” The slain vigilante was named as Shaibu Yerima, who was reportedly hacked to death by the attackers.
The attack has left many residents in a state of panic. Following the incident, neighbours gathered on the main road, which had street lighting, refusing to return to their homes for fear of further attacks. “I will wait till daybreak and leave here immediately. I will look for somewhere to stay. I can’t sleep at my house any longer. I’m just following the crowd around,” Ameh said.
This is the second major attack in the Kubwa axis in less than a week. On Sunday, May 31, 2026, a resident of the Paze community, identified as Emmanuel Oluwale, was abducted from his home during a midnight raid. The kidnappers reportedly demanded a ransom of N7 million, which his family paid before he was released. The latest incident also comes just two months after a separate attack on the Peze community, where armed men abducted approximately 16 residents, including the wife of a local vigilante commander and four children of a pastor.
The FCT Police Command has yet to issue an official statement on the latest abductions. As of the time of filing this report, calls to the Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, were not answered. Security sources, however, have confirmed that search-and-rescue operations are underway.
The attack has highlighted the vulnerability of Abuja’s satellite towns, where porous borders and vast, ungoverned forest reserves connecting the FCT to neighbouring states have provided a haven for criminal gangs. Residents have repeatedly called on the government to deploy more security personnel and establish permanent posts in the area, which remains largely underserved despite repeated attacks.
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