Armed men kidnapped four residents and killed a vigilante during an early-morning attack in the Byazhin area of Kubwa in the Bwari Area Council of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, residents and security sources said Thursday.
A resident identified as Aliyu said about 28 armed attackers stormed the community in the early hours of the day, suggesting the assailants may have camped nearby before launching the raid.
“The gunmen were about 28 who attacked the community,” he said. “Four residents were taken into the bush while one vigilante guiding the area was shot from behind and died as a result of the gunshot.”
A security source confirmed the incident and said the slain vigilante had been buried. The source added that joint security teams, including military, police and local vigilantes, had begun a search-and-rescue operation for the abducted victims.
“It is true. The vigilante had just been buried,” the source said. “They are already in the bush in search of the criminals and to rescue the victims.”
The attack occurred in Byazhin, a fast-growing suburb of Kubwa that has seen repeated security incidents in recent months, raising concerns among residents over worsening insecurity.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Josephine Adeh, were unsuccessful.
Authorities said operations are ongoing to locate the kidnappers and rescue the abducted residents.
