Many residents of Kungaboku and neighbouring Paze communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have reportedly fled their homes after suspected terrorists issued a threat of a coordinated attack.
The threat, contained in a letter allegedly discovered in a pupil’s school bag at a private school in Paze, warned of an impending assault on the two communities in retaliation for the killing of a terrorists commander during a recent security operation.
The development follows a March 7 operation in which troops of the 7 Guards Battalion, Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army, working alongside police personnel and local vigilantes, rescued 19 kidnapped victims around Gidan Dogo in Bwari Area Council.
The victims, mostly residents of Paze and Kungaboku, were freed during a coordinated search-and-rescue mission. During the operation, security forces reportedly killed one terrorist, while others escaped with suspected gunshot wounds. One AK-47 rifle and a locally fabricated firearm were also recovered from the area.
According to residents, the threat letter was discovered by a teacher while marking a pupil’s homework in the private school. The discovery triggered alarm within the community, prompting police to invite the pupil, the child’s parents, the teacher and school authorities for questioning. They were later profiled and released.
As news of the letter spread through community WhatsApp groups and social media platforms, fear gripped residents, many of whom began leaving the affected communities over concerns of a fresh attack.
Tensions had already been heightened after suspected terrorists, a day before the letter surfaced, reportedly invaded a Fulani settlement in Kungaboku, abducted three women and demanded a ransom of N70 million.
Kungaboku and Paze, located near Byazhin, an extension of Kubwa in Bwari Area Council, have in recent months witnessed a string of violent attacks linked to armed criminal groups.
In October 2025, Dr Ifeanyi Ogbu, a veterinary doctor and former chairman of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), FCT Chapter, was abducted in Kungaboku alongside his three children. He was later killed, while the children were taken away by the attackers.
More recently, on March 5, suspected terrorists attacked Kungaboku and abducted a retired military officer, Bankole Ganiyu, along with three children. Ganiyu’s wife, a police officer, and two other children in the house escaped unharmed.
On the same day, armed men also attacked a nearby farm settlement, killed a vigilante on duty, abducted three workers and forced six others to flee.
Residents of Paze also said attacks have become recurrent, with gunmen raiding nearby settlements and moving from house to house to abduct residents. Community sources said no fewer than 12 persons, including women and children, had been kidnapped in the area within the past two weeks.
Among those abducted were four children of a pastor, the wife of a vigilante leader and her sister. In one of the incidents, residents said the attackers left behind a baby.
In response to the latest threat and growing panic, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Byazhin convened a security meeting on Saturday at the palace of the community head of Kungaboku, Chief Ishaya Jagaba.
At the meeting, police authorities reportedly confirmed the existence of the threat letter but assured residents that proactive security measures had been put in place to forestall any attack.
Residents were urged to remain vigilant, monitor the activities of commercial motorcyclists and scavengers, and carefully profile new entrants into the communities, amid concerns that some may be acting as informants for criminal groups.
The DPO also encouraged the communities to take practical steps toward the proposed construction of a police post in Kungaboku, while assuring residents that regular day-and-night patrols would be intensified to strengthen security presence.
Despite the assurances, fear continues to loom over Kungaboku and Paze, with several homes said to be deserted as anxious residents await the effectiveness of the promised security measures.
Community leaders, however, appealed for calm, urging residents not to panic but to cooperate fully with security agencies, expressing hope that collective vigilance would help prevent another round of violence.
