Bandits Kidnap Seven Mourners in Abuja, 24 Others in Niger Community

•Mutfwang to Senate: Over 12,000 killed, 420 communities attacked in Plateau

•House begins inquiry into insecurity in nation’s capital, faulty $460m CCTV project

Olawale Ajimotokan,Juliet Akoje in Abuja, Seriki Adinoyi in Jos and Laleye Dipo in Minna

The growing climate of insecurity in Abuja, the nation’s capital, intensified last night as seven mourners were kidnapped by bandits at the border community of Gidan Bijimi, a rural settlement in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Sources said the victims, comprising six girls and a 16- year-old boy, were abducted in a well-coordinated attack that happened about 10pm Wednesday.

Similarly, in Niger State, no fewer than 24 persons, among them pregnant women, were kidnapped from a rice farm in Palaita village in Shiroro Local Government Area.

Relatedly, Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, warned that insecurity in the state had become “deliberate, systematic and coordinated,” revealing that no fewer than 12,000 persons have been killed and more than 420 communities attacked between 2001 and May 2025.

House of Representatives set up a special ad-hoc committee to scrutinise the surge in insecurity across the FCT, a situation that persisted even after the federal government installed a $460 million CCTV surveillance network, financed through a Chinese loan.

According to sources, the Abuja victims had travelled to the community that shared boundary with a neighbouring village market around Kaduna State for a burial ceremony of a relative before the armed men invaded the area.

The incident added a new layer to the pattern of raids that increasingly targeted vulnerable FCT border communities.

An eye witness said the bandits that brandished AK-47 guns, raided two houses in the community and bolted with the victims, amid sporadic shooting that deterred many residents from confronting the criminals.

It was gathered that some residents also abandoned their homes after the incident as a precautionary measure.

Incidentally, the abduction happened three days after the FCT minister Nyesom Wike launched Operation Sweep and directed police and security agencies to strengthen surveillance, curb crime, and ensure residents’ safety citywide.

The hoodlums also unleashed an attack a day after the FCT police commissioner, Miller Dantawaye, assured residents of the readiness of the police to secure the border communities as well as all the major places in the nation’s capital.

In Niger State, it was gathered that the Shiroro local government abduction took place on Wednesday while those kidnapped were working on their rice farm.

Public Relations Officer at State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident in a one-paragraph statement.

Abiodun stated, “On November 26, 2025 at about 8pm, report received indicated that suspected armed men abducted about 10 persons from Angwan-Kawo and Kuchipa villages of Shiroro Local Government Area. Effort is being emplaced to rescue the victims.”

Mutfwang to Senate: Over 12,000 Killed, 420 Communities Attacked in Plateau State

Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, said insecurity in the state had become “deliberate, systematic and coordinated”.

Mutfwang disclosed that no fewer than 12,000 persons had been killed and more than 420 communities attacked between 2001 and May 2025.

Represented by his deputy, Mrs. Josephine Piyo, he spoke in Jos at the North Central Zonal Public Hearing on National Security organised by Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on the National Security Summit.

The governor said the attacks bore the imprint of organised criminal networks driven by territorial ambition, economic interests, religious extremism, and political manipulation.

He described the violence as a national tragedy that had displaced thousands, destroyed livelihoods, and turned once-thriving communities into ghost settlements.

He argued that Plateau’s long-standing identity as Nigeria’s melting pot had been eroded by cycles of aggression, including land grabbing, mining-related criminality, and targeted assaults against rural communities.

He further queried whether various levels of government had fulfilled their constitutional duty to protect citizens.

“This is not the time to compare who has lost more lives across ethnic or religious divides. This is the time to unite and act decisively,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, who chaired the session, said the committee chose Plateau deliberately because the state had become symbolic of the wider national security crisis, from banditry and terrorism to farmer-herder conflicts, land dispossession, and communal violence.

Moro said the committee would rely on the submissions received to shape future legislative reforms.

Plateau State Council of Chiefs and Emirs, represented by Da Gwom Izere, said the hearing was long overdue, stating that traditional rulers had documented their analysis of insecurity, including root causes and recommendations, and would formally submit it to the committee.

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), represented by its Vice Chairman in Plateau, Reverend Salleh Koyeh, urged the lawmakers to confront the realities of the crisis and “call things by their rightful names”.

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), represented by the Emir of Wase, emphasised sincerity and collaboration as way to resolving the crisis. He described the gathering as timely and reaffirmed JNI’s readiness to work with government, security agencies, and community institutions to restore peace.

House Begins Inquiry into Abuja Insecurity, Faulty $460m CCTV Initiative

House of Representatives set up a special ad-hoc committee to scrutinise the surge in insecurity Abuja, despite the federal government’s $460 million CCTV surveillance network financed through a Chinese loan.

During the committee’s inauguration in Abuja, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas condemned the escalating incidents of kidnapping, armed robbery, and murder in the FCT as “unacceptable and intolerable”.

Abbas lamented that Abuja, once considered one of the calmest capitals in West Africa, was now experiencing routine violent attacks.

He questioned why the multi-million-dollar CCTV project intended to strengthen monitoring and security responses had failed to arrest the deteriorating security situation.

He said Nigerians must be told whether the massive investment was used correctly, abandoned midway, or undermined by poor management.

Abbas stated that the committee was charged with conducting a thorough, forensic review of the project, including its current condition, operational capability, how well it linked with security agencies, and the factors responsible for its inability to achieve results.

Represented at the event by Hon. Julius Pondi, Abbas added that the panel must also uncover any negligence or possible sabotage and propose measures to either activate the system or undertake a complete overhaul.

The speaker called on the ministers of the FCT, finance, and interior, as well as the Inspector General of Police, area council chairmen, and security agency leaders to fully support the investigation.

He appealed to traditional rulers to deepen their collaboration with security agencies through better intelligence sharing.