‘How I escaped bandits who abducted 7 in FCT Community’

A resident of Gidan-Bijimi community in Kawu, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Thomas Wahab Sarki, has narrated how he escaped being abducted by armed bandits who invaded the community and kidnapped a 16-year-old boy along with six young girls.

Daily Trust had reported that the bandits, wielding sophisticated weapons, stormed Gidan-Bijimi around 9:37 pm on Wednesday. The community, located in the Bwari Area Council, shares a boundary with Marke village in Kagarko LGA, Kaduna State.

Sarki, a retired community health worker, told our reporter during a visit to the area on Friday that he was the main target of the attackers.

He said he was at home with members of his family preparing for the burial of his late elder brother’s wife, Jummai Tanko, who died at the age of 96. The burial was scheduled for Thursday.

According to him, shortly after dinner, while visitors were arriving for the burial, he stepped out to a nearby shop to buy a recharge card to make some phone calls.

He said he returned and sat under a tree behind his house to get network access. “After buying the recharge card, I sat under a tree at the back of my house to make some calls,” he said.

“It was shortly after I finished making the calls that I heard a sound from a different direction. I initially thought it was a firecracker thrown by children. But moments later, I heard another sound—twice.”

He said the situation changed when he heard men threatening to shoot his son if he attempted to escape. That was when he realised the community had come under attack.

“As soon as I discovered they were bandits, I began crawling into the bush. After crawling for about 500 meters, I stayed hidden and watched what was happening. Then I heard another gunshot from my compound,” he recounted.

He said some of the bandits surrounded his house while others entered the rooms where visitors were sleeping and abducted ten women, including six young girls, three nursing mothers, and a 16-year-old boy.

However, as they were being led into the bush, the bandits later released the three nursing mothers who had babies strapped to their backs.

“So, they asked the three women carrying babies to return home and went away with the remaining six girls and the 16-year-old boy,” he said.

Sarki said he only returned home after the bandits had left. He discovered that they had ransacked his room and stolen N140,000 cash, as well as another N1.2 million belonging to his son.

“After searching my room, the bandits also went into my son’s room and took N1.2 million he intended to use the next day to buy a new motorcycle in Bwari,” he added.

He said the bandits even fired shots through one of the windows of his son’s room, although no one was injured.

Sarki said mobile policemen from the Kawu division later arrived that night after the attackers had fled with the victims. He identified the abducted persons as Blessing Awu, 16-year-old David Ishaya, Abigail Kasere, Asabe Joshua, Talatu Jaba, and Agnes Kasare.

He said the six victims were his relatives from Kubacha in Kagarko LGA of Kaduna State, who had come to attend the burial.

“After the police arrived, they picked empty bullet shells from the compound. They later asked me to explain what happened, and I narrated everything to them before they left,” he said.

Kidnappers demand N300m ransom

Sarki also revealed that the abductors have demanded a ransom of N300 million for the release of the hostages.

He said the bandits made the demand after establishing contact with a villager on Thursday, around 10:47 a.m.

“The bandits ordered the villager, who is my neighbour, to look for me and hand over the phone to me.

“When I received the phone call, their leader told me that they were sent to kill me. Since they didn’t meet me at home, they decided to abduct the six girls and the boy,” he said.

Sarki said the bandit leader told him he must “bail himself,” since he escaped their target attack. He said he asked the bandits how he was expected to bail himself and what would happen to the victims.

According to him, the bandit leader demanded N300 million for both his “bail” and the release of the victims in captivity. Sarki said he told them he had no such money.

“The moment I told him I didn’t have that kind of money, he ended the call immediately,” he said.

He said the bandits called again hours later, asking if he was ready to pay the demanded amount, but he repeated that he could only afford N150,000, which they rejected before cutting the call again.

The retired community health worker said the bandits called again the following day, Friday.

“When they called on Friday, I told them I could pay N300,000 for the release of the victims. Their leader then asked how much I would pay to bail myself, and I said I could add N100,000, making it N400,000 in total. Yet the bandits still refused. That was how our conversation ended,” he said.

Sarki, a farmer, said he has no means to raise such an enormous amount of money.

When asked if he had any misunderstandings with anyone in the community, Sarki said he had never had any issues with anyone.

He appealed to security operatives to come to his aid and rescue the victims still being held captive.

We’ve suffered 3 bandit attacks in 2 years— Gidan-Bijimi residents

Residents of the Gidan-Bijimi community said last Wednesday’s bandit attack brings to three the number of assaults they have suffered within the last two years.

Some residents who spoke to our reporter said bandits had, early last year, abducted several locals working on their farms. They said the second attack occurred last December, when a resident returning from the market after selling his farm produce was ambushed in his home and taken away at gunpoint.

An elder of the community, Mr Jatau Bala Daniel, a retired director in the Department of Policy and Implementation, Education Secretariat, Abuja, also recalled how bandits invaded the community on Wednesday amid heavy gunfire, forcing many residents to flee.

He said he initially mistook the sound for firecrackers until gunshots rang out across different parts of the community, throwing residents into panic.

Calls for army base at FCT–Kaduna border

Daniel expressed concern over the recurring attacks and urged the government to work with relevant security authorities to establish an army base in the area, given the community’s proximity to Marke village, which borders the FCT and Kaduna State.

He explained that the bandits who attacked the community on the three occasions came through bush paths from neighbouring Marke, using the unprotected border area to infiltrate and escape.

He noted that establishing a military base between Gidan-Bijimi and Marke would help curb the frequent bandit attacks affecting both communities.

According to him, the vast stretch of land between Kawu and Gidan-Bijimi requires a strong security presence, as it provides easy access for bandits who cross from Kaduna to abduct victims without resistance.

He acknowledged that, though security operatives eventually responded on Wednesday night, the bandits had already fled with their victims. He blamed the delayed response on the long distance from Kawu and the deplorable condition of the road leading to Gidan-Bijimi.

Village chief laments repeated attacks

The village chief of Gidan-Bijimi, Paul Adamu, expressed deep concern over the latest abduction of six young girls and a 16-year-old boy.

He said it was worrisome that his subjects live in constant fear due to the activities of bandits who cross into the community through the Kaduna border.

“The attack last Wednesday is the third within two years. These bandits come through neighbouring villages that border Kaduna and Bwari Area Council,” he said.

The chief noted that most residents are peasant farmers who cultivate ginger and other crops, yet they are frequently targeted—especially during harvest seasons.

“It is unfortunate that poor farmers struggling to survive through agriculture are being abducted and asked to raise N300 million ransom,” he said.

He also blamed the slow security response on the terrible state of the road linking Kawu to Gidan-Bijimi.

Police mum, security operatives intensify search

The spokeswoman of the FCT Police Command, SP Adeh Josephine, declined to comment when contacted on Sunday for an update on the abducted victims.

However, a police source at the Bwari divisional headquarters, who asked not to be named, confided in our reporter that security operatives—including the police Anti-Kidnap Unit, DSS, and the Army—have been combing the forest along the border to ensure the victims are rescued alive.

Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5 million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25 million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, click here to find out how it works.

Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.