The night began like many others in Pazeyi, a quiet settlement on the outskirts of Kubwa in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory. Families were settling in after the day’s work, children were indoors, and roadside traders were doing business as usual.
Then the gunshots came.
What followed would plunge several households into anguish and add another grim chapter to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.
Late Tuesday night, heavily armed gunmen stormed the community, firing sporadically and forcing residents from their homes before abducting at least 16 people, including women and children.
For many in the community, the attack unfolded with frightening speed — yet the trauma continues to linger days later.
Gunshots in the Night
Residents say the first signs of trouble came shortly after nightfall. According to Saidu Ibraheem, the head of Pazeyi village, the community was jolted by the sound of gunfire.
“Late in the evening on Tuesday, we heard gunshots,” he told RBN during a visit to the area. Then we found out they were trying to kidnap in the community.”
Alarmed, he immediately alerted the police.
“I tried to inform the police and they answered immediately. They pursued them and tried their best, but most of them escaped into the bush with some residents.”
By the time the attackers retreated, several families had been torn apart.
According to the community leader, the kidnappers fled with several residents — including four children belonging to a local pastor, commercial motorcyclists, and the wife and sister-in-law of a vigilante commander.
The assailants left behind the commander’s one-month-old baby.
The village head said the attack has left residents deeply shaken. “Even me as a leader in the community, I’m not safe,” he said, appealing for stronger security presence.
A 20-Minute Gun Battle
Local vigilante members say they attempted to confront the attackers — but were heavily outnumbered.
Christian Cletus, a member of the Kubwa vigilante group, said they had already been alerted to suspicious activity earlier that night.
“Normally we resume work by 10,” he explained. “But that day, by 9:00 we were already called that there were strange movements in the environment.”
The team began mobilising. “Our commander told us to come and pick our guns. They said kidnappers were in the pastor’s house.”
As they moved through the area, their commander sensed danger. Moments later, the gunmen revealed themselves.
“He cocked his gun immediately and then they started shooting at us,” Cletus said. “We started shooting back.”
For nearly twenty minutes, the two sides exchanged gunfire in the darkness.
“We exchanged fire with them for about 20 minutes,” he recalled. Eventually, the vigilantes ran out of ammunition.
“My bullets finished. I went out of armory,” he said. “Our commander continued shooting until he also went out.”
The gunmen eventually retreated — but not before taking several hostages.
When the vigilante members later inspected nearby homes, the scale of the attack became clearer.
“We checked our commander’s house and discovered his wife and his sister-in-law had been kidnapped,” Cletus said.
A worker at a nearby block industry later told residents the attackers had come in large numbers.
Initially, he had mistaken them for security personnel. But when they advanced toward him, he realised they were not. He was beaten and left for dead.
“They Took My Children”
Perhaps the most devastating story from the attack belongs to Gloria Anotu, a roadside food vendor and mother whose four children were taken that night.
She recalled that she had been selling food when rumours of gunshots began spreading through the area.
“Somebody came to my shop and told us they were shooting at Pazeyi,” she said.
Her children were at home, while her husband had briefly left her shop to return to the house.
Soon after, he called her in panic. The call abruptly ended. Repeated attempts to reach him failed. Growing increasingly alarmed, Gloria ran home.
What she met there would shatter her world. A large crowd had gathered around her house. Her children were gone — the eldest 16 years old, while the youngest taken is six.
“Since Tuesday, I’ve not been myself,” she said, fighting back tears.
The eldest daughter had recently suffered a broken leg.
“My first daughter broke her leg since December. She can’t walk well,” Gloria said, adding that the six year old daughter was also ill at the time of the attack.
In a sober appeal, she called on authorities to help bring her children back.
“I’m calling on the government to help me get my children. That is what I want now because I am not happy. Anybody that is watching me now should please help me. Let my children come back to me.”
She added that the attacks are not new. “This operation has started since last year,” she said. “Sometimes we will not sleep at home. We run away to sleep somewhere else.”
A Father’s Worst Fear
For the children’s father, Pastor Anthony Anotu, the moment he realised what had happened remains seared into memory.
Earlier that evening, he had been at home with the children while his wife worked at her roadside food stall. At some point, he stepped out to briefly visit her.
According to him, later, his instincts told him to return home. As he approached his house, he noticed something unusual. Police vehicles. Crowds. And his gate, wide open as people shouted “kidnappers”.
“Immediately I got to my place, I saw the gate was open,” he told RBN. “I already knew they had succeeded with my children.”
Inside, the house was in chaos. “Everything was turned upside down.”
He called their names, there was no answer except for the youngest.
“It was only the last one of three years that was left behind,” he said.
For a moment, he feared the worst. “I thought they had harmed her. I picked her up immediately and she responded.”
Now, like many parents in similar situations across Nigeria, he waits and hopes.
A Community Living in Fear
For residents like shop owner Michael Orupe, the Kubwa attack reflects a deeper and longer-running problem.
His shop sits close to the pastor’s house that was targeted. However, he narrowly escaped the kidnappers.
Still, he believes local vigilantes cannot shoulder the burden alone.
“A lot of this has been happening here for a long time,” he told RBN. “If the government wants to put a stop to it, they can put a stop to it.”
He said the community urgently needs stronger intervention. “We the people or the vigilante cannot do it alone.”
Pattern of Violence
The Kubwa abduction is far from an isolated incident. Across Nigeria, communities continue to grapple with recurring attacks by armed groups, kidnappers and extremist militants.
On Tuesday, March 3 in Borno State —the same day as the Kubwa attack —suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents carried out a deadly assault on Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area.
The attackers struck shortly after residents broke their Ramadan fast.
Security sources say the militants overpowered local troops before entering the town.
During the assault, several soldiers, the town’s chief imam and community elders were killed. Hundreds including women and children were reportedly abducted.
Meanwhile on Friday, February 27 in Plateau State, at least five people were killed during a late-night attack on a rural community, further highlighting the persistence of violence in parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Also in early February, in Kwara State, terrorists linked to the Mamuda sect reportedly attacked the communities of Nuku and Woro, leaving scores dead and properties destroyed.
The attack prompted a visit by Vice-President Kashim Shettima to Ilorin, where he commiserated with victims and government officials.
Following the violence, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the deployment of an army battalion to Kaiama Local Government Area to spearhead Operation Savannah Shield, aimed at protecting vulnerable communities.
The president condemned the attack as “cowardly and barbaric” and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice.
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US Intervenes
Amid growing security challenges, Nigeria has also intensified international collaboration.
Recently, the Defence Headquarters confirmed that about 100 United States military personnel had arrived at Bauchi Airfield to support Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.
According to the military, the deployment focuses on training, intelligence sharing and technical support rather than combat operations.
Officials say the partnership is intended to improve operational readiness and strengthen efforts to detect and disrupt extremist groups operating within the country.
Waiting for Answers
Back in Kubwa, however, those broader security strategies feel distant.
For families whose loved ones vanished into the bush that night, the focus is painfully simple. They want them back.
Days after the attack, many homes remain tense and quiet. Some residents sleep in shifts. Others keep their doors locked long before nightfall.
Yet for the Anotus, the silence in their home is the hardest part. Their children’s beds remain empty. And each passing day brings the same unanswered question. Will they return?
Report by Paul Lyamgohn, Written by Rejoice Ewodage.