Crime
Kidnapping: Nigerians devise self-defence as security agents fail
In the FCT alone, over 200 violent attacks have been recorded across the six area councils since President Bola Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.
The incidents led to the death of no fewer than 87 residents of the FCT, while over 176 were kidnapped within the period.
The figures, which were sourced from Beacon Consulting, a local firm monitoring security issues in the country, and several media reports on violent attacks, showed a dramatic spike in kidnapping for ransom in the FCT and other city centres.
Since the assumption of office of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, on August 16, 2023, there has been a rise in violent attacks in the nation’s capital.
The FCT is facing an alarming surge in insecurity, prompting concerns among residents and the authorities. The capital city, once considered relatively immune to the prevalent security challenges in other parts of the country, is now grappling with an escalating wave of criminal activities, particularly kidnapping.
According to a 2020 report by SB Morgen, Abuja was ranked 11th among locations with frequent abductions, a stark revelation of the evolving security landscape in the region.
Data from January 2021 to June 2023 showed that the FCT recorded over 40 kidnap cases with over 236 victims, who were either released after ransom was paid or killed even after payment.
Between October and December 2023 alone, there were 13 recorded kidnap incidents, impacting 80 victims.
From Gwagwalada to Kuje, Lugbe, Pegi, Abaji, Keti, and Kwali, the daredevils operate with naked boldness.
Vigilantes to the rescue
A resident of Kuje, who gave his name only as Michael, noted that while the area had seen relative peace in the last couple of months, residents were taking no chances.
He stated, “There haven’t been any attacks recently in Kuje but it doesn’t mean we will just relax and wait for that to happen. We are taking our safety into our own hands and doing the best we can to protect ourselves from this epidemic.
“We have employed local vigilantes to protect the area every night. And with this new police squad inaugurated by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetoku, I’m sure we will be safer.”
A resident of Kpegyi, Mr Salisu, called for the sustenance of the police squad, noting that while kidnapping was on the rise, other crimes were thriving.
“I’ve lived in Kpegyi now for almost a decade. Kidnapping is the more popular vice, but armed robberies have gone on unchecked. We still have robberies, car thefts and what have you. I like that the security agencies have been gingered, but I hope and pray it’s not just a show that will last one month and it goes back to normal,” he said.
However, Mallam Ahmed Yinusa, who lives in Kubwa, said the show of force by the special squad was unnecessary, adding that community policing was the best model to combat crimes as it would be easier for residents of an area to identify strangers.
“I think the display was unnecessary. These bandits move in silence, why can’t the police? There’s no need to announce what you will do. You just go ahead and do it. However, I still think community policing is the best idea. That way, it is community-centred, and we can identify anyone who isn’t one of us,” Yinusa said.
Speaking on strategies for safety, some residents said their communities had erected gates to control movement, especially at night, while others had taken up personal security measures.
“In my area, we erected gates since 2022. Motorcycles are not allowed after 7pm. Cars do not access the area after 9pm. We may have to review that with these developments, but it is better safe than sorry,” a resident of Karu, who gave his name simply as Adams, told Sunday PUNCH.
A corps member, who gave her name as only Favour, said she no longer goes out after 8pm for any reason.
“I just make sure I’m home before 8pm. Of course, these people attacked a compound at 7.30pm, but I think I will feel safer in a familiar environment than somewhere else. I might also consider keeping maybe pepper spray or a taser around,” she said.
A resident of the Area 1, Mrs Justina Okeke, said, “We are raising fences in my estate. We might add barbed wire or electric fences. For my kids, maybe they will start taking self-defence classes. We can’t take any chances. I cannot even imagine what parents of kidnapped children are going through.”
Roadblocks in Kaduna
Youths in Kaduna State have resorted to mounting roadblocks in their communities following the renewed insecurity in the state, Sunday PUNCH reports.
Checks by one of our correspondents in the state capital indicated that youths in areas like Sabon Tashi in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state had resorted to blocking the roads at night with used tyres as a way of defending the communities from the daredevils.
Governor Uba Sani had on several occasions expressed concern over the renewed activities of bandits in the state, forcing him to summon traditional rulers and heads of security agencies as well as other major stakeholders to a security meeting in the state to find ways to tackle the renewed insecurity.
At the meeting, the governor disclosed that as part of efforts to tackle the renewed insecurity in the state, he had pushed for the establishment of more military formations across the state.
He said, “I have been pursuing the deployment of more boots on the ground through more military formations. I am happy to inform you that very soon, there will be establishment of some Forward Operating Bases in the state.
“The Kaduna State Government is working with the Defence Headquarters towards actualizing these plans.”
The governor also directed the Overseeing Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs “to follow this process closely and provide me with regular reports on the establishment of the FOBs and other relevant issues which we are vigorously pursuing.”
This was apart from the training of no fewer than 7,000 members of the State Vigilance Service to complement the efforts of the regular security agencies in the state.
One of our correspondents, who went around, observed the youths, some of them bearing dane guns, catapults, machetes, and barricaded link roads with stones, while conducting stop-and-search operations of motorists entering their communities.
Some of the youth were paid through community efforts, while in some cases by tips offered by appreciative residents.
One of the leaders at the Ungwan-Pama area, simply identified as Ifeanyi, told our correspondent that each compound was charged a token as a security levy to boost the morale of the vigilantes.
At the Post Office Road junction in the Sabon-Tasha area of the state, some of the fierce-looking youths told Sunday PUNCH that they were rendering voluntary services as a way of “defending our community.”
At the Barnawa GRA area, it was observed that residents of the low-cost estate built during FESTAC ‘77 had built gates as a way of preventing intruders into the estate.
One of the guards manning a gate leading to the estate, said, “By 9pm, the gates are shut to visitors.”
Some areas are also manned by members of the Peace Corps. An official, who gave his name as Akpati, told one of our correspondents that the members were posted to the homes of prominent citizens in the state to secure their lives.
The State Commissioner of Police, A. D. Ali, called on members of the public to avail themselves of security agencies’ hotlines for any situation requiring prompt response.
Two police officers have been killed after suspected armed herders ambushed the convoy of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ayilamo, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The latest attack occurred on Monday evening, barely four days after another deadly incident in the community reportedly left four policemen and seven residents dead.
Community sources said the DPO had travelled to Makurdi on official duty and was returning to Ayilamo when his entourage came under attack.
One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victims were among newly deployed Mobile Police officers stationed in the area.
He said the officers were attacked at about 6pm while travelling from Ayilamo to escort the DPO back to the community from Makurdi.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, said two officers attached to the DPO’s entourage were killed in the attack.
“The DPO came to Makurdi to collect some things, and while returning to Ayilamo, he was attacked and lost two of his men in the attack,” Aondongu said.
The latest incident has raised fresh concerns over the security situation in Ayilamo, where repeated attacks have resulted in casualties among security personnel and residents.
The Nigeria Police Force has placed its formations nationwide on red alert following intelligence reports of planned terrorist attacks on worship centres, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other public places.
The alert followed fresh intelligence indicating increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks on vulnerable targets across the country.
Police authorities also reportedly received intelligence on the movement of armed elements from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State.
The operational order was contained in a police wireless message dated September 13, 2026, with reference number CB: 0900/FDPS/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL38/68, issued by the Department of Operations at Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Marked “Security General” and tagged “Treat as Very Important,” the message was circulated to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing Zones 1–17, Mobile Police formations, counter-terrorism and other specialised units, as well as Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The police directed formations to intensify vigilance and take proactive measures to prevent criminal and terrorist elements from carrying out attacks.
The warning specifically highlighted places of worship, educational institutions, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable public locations as potential targets.
A 16-year-old boy, Favour Ayogu, who was allegedly abducted in Igboeze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, has been rescued in Onitsha, Anambra State, after his abductors reportedly abandoned him near a security checkpoint.
Ayogu was rescued on the evening of September 13, 2026, by a joint security patrol team operating along Oguta Road, Onitsha.
According to the Anambra State Police Command, the teenager was found at Ekene Junction after unidentified persons reportedly pushed him out of a black Toyota Highlander SUV close to a security checkpoint.
The patrol team immediately intervened and rescued the victim, thereby preventing what the police described as further danger to his life.
Following the rescue, the Command said it had intensified surveillance and intelligence-led operations to identify and apprehend members of the suspected criminal gang responsible for the abduction.
The police also appealed to residents of Igboeze South and Ibagwa-Aka in Enugu State who may have useful information about Ayogu or his family to contact the nearest police station or the Anambra State Police Command in Awka.
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, commended the security personnel involved in the rescue and directed officers to sustain strategic checkpoints, intelligence-led patrols and coordinated security operations across the state.
The Command assured residents and visitors that it would continue to intensify efforts to prevent criminal elements from using Anambra as a safe haven.
At least nine passengers have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a commercial bus at Dungus Junction in Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The attack reportedly occurred around 9:40 p.m. when the bus, which was travelling towards Jos, stopped at the junction to drop off some passengers.
Several other passengers were reportedly injured in the attack and rushed to hospitals for treatment.
Lawan Suleiman, a neighbour and teacher of one of the victims, identified the driver as Ibrahim and said three of the victims were from his community in Bukuru.
“The driver is Ibrahim and he was my student. Three of them are from our community here in Bukuru. Their bodies have been deposited at the hospital. But relatives are preparing to collect them for burial,” Suleiman said.
The bus was reportedly riddled with bullets, with bloodstains visible inside the vehicle after the attack.
Rwang Tengwong, spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders (BYM), also confirmed the incident, saying the victims were passengers travelling to Jos when the attackers opened fire on the vehicle.
Tengwong said one of those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow.
“The incident happened around 9.40 p.m. The victims were all passengers travelling to Jos when the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle. Among those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow. It is a very sad development and we lament the loss of lives,” he said.
He added that some passengers sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospitals, while some of the injured reportedly later died.
The attack has raised fresh concerns over the safety of commuters travelling along the route at night amid continuing security challenges in parts of Plateau State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Plateau State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The Enugu State Police Command has ordered an investigation into two separate incidents of alleged disruption of political gatherings in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
The incidents reportedly occurred on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Ndiuno-Obuoffia community and St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to thoroughly investigate the incidents and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
According to the statement, armed hoodlums allegedly disrupted a National Democratic Congress (NDC) ward meeting at Ndiuno-Obuoffia with sporadic gunshots, leaving two attendees injured.
In a separate incident at St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani, hoodlums allegedly destroyed canopies and chairs arranged for a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally.
The police said operatives were promptly deployed to both locations after receiving reports of the incidents to prevent further breaches of peace and track down the fleeing suspects.
The Command, however, noted that neither of the political gatherings had been formally brought to the attention of the police for security coverage.
CP Giwa reiterated his warning that all political activities in the state must be conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.
He stressed that electoral offences are punishable under the law and warned political parties, candidates, supporters and other stakeholders against violence, intimidation, destruction of property and other acts capable of disrupting public peace or the electoral process.
The Commissioner urged political parties and other stakeholders to notify the police ahead of campaigns, meetings, rallies and other political gatherings to enable the Command to make adequate security arrangements.
He assured residents that the police would continue to maintain a peaceful and secure environment for lawful political activities while dealing decisively with anyone found violating the law.
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