Operation sweep pushes hoodlums to FCT Suburbs, residents lament raids

By Omeiza Ajayi

As the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) Operation Sweep Abuja intensifies in the city centre, fleeing hoodlums are reportedly regrouping in satellite communities, unleashing terror on residents and dispossessing them of valuables.

Communities stretching from Kurudu, Kpeyegyi, Gidan Daya, Gidan Mangoro to Orozo have in recent weeks become hotbeds of violent robberies. Residents say they now live in constant fear, barely able to sleep at night.

During one of the raids, victims recounted how gangs numbering up to 15 stormed Gidan Mangoro’s Zone D settlement, popularly called Angwan Mada.

A female resident, who asked not to be named, said the attackers went from house to house in the dead of night, smashing burglary proofs and forcing their way inside. “They moved from room to room, breaking windows and doors to enter our houses,” she lamented.

Another resident narrated how the assailants, armed with machetes, axes, sledgehammers and iron cutters, tried to break into his home. He fled with his teenage daughter, tossing her over the backyard fence before climbing after her. “We hid in the bush until daybreak,” he said.

, showing leg injuries he sustained while escaping.

Survivors reported that the attackers carted away phones, ATM cards, cash and other valuables. According to residents, this was the second coordinated invasion of the area within one month.’

The nightmare has not been limited to Gidan Mangoro. In Orozo, a woman described a more audacious operation where she estimated over 50 hoodlums participated. “They came with so much confidence, carrying weapons, and spent nearly three hours going from room to room. It was like they knew no one would challenge them,” she said, giving only her first name, Mariam.

She recalled calling a police contact who redirected her to another officer while the intruders were already breaking into her home. “By the time the police showed up, the robbers had long finished and left,” she added.

In Gidan Daya, near the Loyola Jesuit College, residents also suffered a brutal attack. Mr. Godwin Arase explained that the robbers, armed with sledgehammers, easily broke through iron burglaries and doors.

“They fired shots in the air, overpowered our security guards and robbed house to house. They took money, jewelry, ATM cards—everything. The police only came after they had left,” he recounted.

Residents have since appealed to authorities to extend night patrols to the satellite communities to deter the criminals.

“Operation Sweep Abuja should not only focus on Maitama, Wuse and other parts of the city. We are the ones suffering now in Kurudu, Orozo and surrounding areas. We don’t sleep again as some of the fleeing hoodlums have shifted focus to our area,” one community member lamented.

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