Bandits Threaten FCT Communities After Military Raid
Panic has gripped the Kungaboku and Paze communities in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following a written threat from suspected bandits. Residents began fleeing their homes after a letter, allegedly found in a pupil’s school bag, detailed a plan to avenge the killing of a bandit commander. The threat follows a March 7 operation by the 7 Guards Battalion and police, which rescued 19 kidnap victims and killed a high-ranking criminal in the Gidan Dogo forest.
The letter was discovered by a teacher at a private school in Paze while marking a student’s notebook. Following the discovery, police interrogated the child, parents, and school staff before clearing them of involvement. The threat has gained credibility due to a fresh attack on a Fulani settlement in Kungaboku just a day before the letter surfaced. In that incident, gunmen abducted three women and demanded a N70 million ransom, further terrorising an already fragile population.
Violence in this axis of Bwari has intensified over the past six months. In October 2025, Dr. Ifeanyi Ogbu, a prominent veterinary doctor, was murdered in Kungaboku after his abduction. More recently, on March 5, a retired military officer and three children were seized from their home. Residents report that at least 12 people have been kidnapped in the last fortnight, including the children of a local pastor and the wife of a vigilante leader.
The Byazhin Divisional Police Officer (DPO) convened an emergency security meeting on Saturday at the palace of Chief Ishaya Jagaba to stem the exodus of residents. While the police confirmed the existence of the threat letter, they urged the community to remain calm and stay vigilant. The DPO advised residents to monitor the movements of commercial motorcyclists and scavengers, who are often suspected of acting as informants for bandit groups lurking in the nearby hills.
Security officials have proposed the immediate construction of a police post in Kungaboku to provide a permanent presence in the farming community. For now, the police have promised increased day-and-night patrols to deter the promised “revenge” attack. Residents have also been tasked with profiling new tenants and strangers moving into the area. Despite these assurances, many homes remain deserted as families seek refuge in more central parts of Abuja.
The Bwari Area Council remains a significant security flashpoint due to its rugged terrain and proximity to forest reserves that stretch into Kaduna and Niger states. Community leaders are desperate for a more permanent military deployment to secure the hundreds of livestock and poultry farms that dot the landscape. Until the promised security measures manifest, the threat of a coordinated reprisal continues to hang over the northern fringe of the capital.