In a chilling midnight raid, gunmen disguised in military uniforms stormed Dnako village in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja, abducting the traditional ruler, HRH Etsu Yuda Garba, along with two of his grandchildren and five other residents.
The attack, which occurred around 12:03 a.m., sent shockwaves through the community as heavily armed assailants wielding AK-47 rifles descended on the village, breaking into multiple homes and abducting their targets with ruthless precision.
According to a resident, Mr. Tanko Baba, the assailants first raided four houses, abducting five individuals before heading straight to the home of the village head. Some of the attackers, dressed in military fatigues, forcefully entered his residence, seized the traditional ruler, and whisked away his sleeping grandchildren, identified as Ephraim and Philemon, amid a hail of gunfire.
One of the abducted victims, Mr. Nicholas, had just returned from the hospital where his wife had given birth when he unwittingly encountered the kidnappers.
“Mr. Nicholas, who is my cousin, was overjoyed after welcoming a newborn but ran into the gunmen just as he arrived home,” Baba recounted, his voice laced with distress.
The gunmen reportedly operated with alarming confidence for nearly 30 minutes, looting and terrorizing residents before firing sporadic gunshots into the air as they fled—likely a tactic to discourage immediate pursuit.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that security forces only arrived at the scene after the attackers had vanished with their captives. While soldiers and other security operatives have since launched a manhunt, there is no official confirmation of any arrests or rescue efforts so far.
A police source in Bwari confirmed the incident but declined to provide details, directing reporters to the FCT Police Command. However, efforts to reach the command’s spokesperson, Superintendent Josephine Adeh, for comments proved unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
This latest abduction adds to the growing list of violent attacks plaguing Bwari, a once-peaceful community now caught in the grip of relentless banditry and kidnappings. Many residents have repeatedly appealed to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to intervene and bolster security in the area before the situation spirals further out of control.
As fear grips the community, families anxiously await news of their loved ones, hoping for swift action from security agencies to bring the abducted victims back home safely.
PIONEER NEWS 