Fear In FCT: How 30 Gunmen Laid Siege To Abuja Community
By ALIYU AMINU ABUBAKAR ABDULLAHI (A.A.A.A.) SHEHU
WHEN gunshots shattered the quiet of Guto community in Abuja’s Bwari Area Council around 11 p.m. last Wednesday, residents instantly knew danger had arrived. By dawn, the scale of the attack became clear: more than 30 armed men had invaded the neighbourhood, killed a police officer, and attempted to abduct an SSS officer and his family.
For 24-year-old Richard Obudu, the night was almost fatal. While trying to peek through his bathroom window to understand the cause of the gunfire, a gunman spotted him and fired three shots directly at him. “Thank God I wasn’t hit,” he said, pointing at the bullet holes on his wall.
Residents recalled how the attackers surrounded the area with military-style precision. Gunmen positioned themselves around every house near the target—identified as the residence of an SSS personnel known locally as Mr. Paul—while others blocked the main access road. Families lay flat on their floors, shielding themselves from bullets as the attackers fired nonstop.
“They were everywhere,” said the community chairperson’s wife, who saw armed men stationed at every corner of her house. Another resident, Mimi Jacob, said the gunfire shook her windows. “We just lay down with the children and prayed.”
According to witnesses, the gunmen appeared to move in from the main road, spreading into the bushes and the target compound. The operation lasted nearly two hours before police arrived and engaged the attackers around 1 a.m. The FCT Police Command later confirmed the death of one officer and said two suspects were killed—though residents disputed this claim.
This was not the first time the area had been targeted. Last year, two domestic workers in Mr. Paul’s home were abducted but managed to escape. Since then, police officers were deployed to guard the residence—one of whom was the officer killed during Wednesday’s raid.
The Bwari area has long been plagued by kidnappings and armed attacks, causing many residents to abandon their homes. Guto’s once-promising growth has stalled, with numerous unfinished and deserted buildings dotting the landscape. Following the latest attack, several families fled the community, with more preparing to leave.
“We came here hoping things would improve,” one resident said. “But the fear is too much.”
Local police declined to comment further, directing journalists to the Force PRO. Meanwhile, uncertainty lingers over whether the attackers will return—and whether the community can survive another night like this.
