Monday, July 20, 2026

Bandits kidnap seven in Abuja village hours after Tinubu declared nationwide security emergency

A relative of one of the abductees confirmed that the victims included a 16-year-old boy and six girls aged between 17 and 23 years.

• November 27, 2025
Bandits with RPG
Bandits [Credit; ACCORD]

At least seven people have been abducted from Gidan-Bijimi in Abuja after armed bandits stormed the village located in Kawu ward of Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)  on Wednesday.

Daily Trust reported that the incident occurred around 10p.m. on Wednesday when armed gunmen stormed the village alongside the border of Abuja and Kaduna state, shooting indiscriminately before whisking away seven residents. 

Suleiman Shuaibu, a man whose cousin was among the individuals who were kidnapped by the perpetrators, confirmed that the victims included a 16-year-old boy and six girls aged between 17 and 23 years. 

“It was around 9:53 pm when a call came from the Gidan-Bijimi community that some bandits invaded the village and abducted six young girls, unfortunately my cousin sister happened to be among the victims,” Mr Shuaibu stated.

He added that some vigilantes in the community attempted to resist bandits but were quickly overpowered by the gangs’ superior firearm. 

The abduction came barely 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency amid the recent spike in bandits attacks across the country, including in Kwara, Niger and Kebbi states.

In his emergency declaration, Mr Tinubu ordered the immediate recruitment of 20,000 and 30,000 officers into the Nigerian Police Force and the Armed Forces respectively, with National Youth Service Corps camps converted into training depots. 

He also ordered the withdrawal of police escorts from high profile individuals back into primary duties while ordering the State Security Service to deploy security operatives into the forest to flush out bandits from their hideouts. 

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Lightning strike photo used to illustrate this story (Credit: Britannica)

States

Lightning strike kills six people in Adamawa

The police command in Adamawa has confirmed the death of six people following a lightning strike in the Ganye council.

Motorists on Calabar road

States

Cross River govt exempts women, elderly drivers from vehicle registration, levies

The Cross River government has exempted women in commercial transport and men aged 60 and above from paying vehicle registration and daily operational levies.

Ademola Adeleke and Oyebamiji

Politics

INEC says Osun residents’ PVCs ready for collection ahead of governorship poll

INEC has announced that PVCs of eligible voters who registered or updated their records during the recent CVR exercise in the state are ready for collection.

Spaniards celebrating

Sport

13-year-old boy killed as Spaniards celebrate 2026 World Cup win

A 13-year-old boy was killed after the Árbol Gordo fountain collapsed as football fans gathered to celebrate the country’s World Cup win.

Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (Credit: KADSEMA)

States

Gas tanker leak contained in Kaduna: KADSEMA

The executive secretary of KADSEMA, Usman Mazadu, said the agency has contained a compressed gas tanker leak in Kaduna South.

Coffins of U.S. servicemen

World

Iran War: Three U.S. servicemen killed

Another American service member has been reported killed by fragments of a downed Iranian drone in northern Iraq, raising the number of U.S. troops killed last week to three.