•Master Warrant Officer Michael Eneware (rtd)
Fresh concerns over the growing reach of terrorist groups into communities on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja have emerged following the harrowing account of a retired Nigerian Army officer, Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Michael Eneware, who survived a midnight attack after being shot in the chest and abandoned in a bush by suspected terrorists in Karshi, Abuja.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of July 29, also saw the abduction of Eneware’s neighbour, who was later released after a ransom was reportedly paid, underscoring the persistent threat posed by armed criminal groups operating around the nation’s capital, reports The Guardian.
In an interview with our correspondent, Eneware, a public relations professional who last served at the Nigerian Army War College, Abuja, recounted how heavily armed attackers invaded his neighbourhood shortly after 1:00 am, moving from house to house in search of victims.
“They came to my house in Karshi in the night, around 1:00 am. They entered our neighbourhood. I was not really their target, but they needed people to kidnap because it is money they are looking for,” he said.
According to him, the gunmen exploited the unfinished perimeter fence around his residence before forcing their way into the compound.
“They shoot, they break doors and do everything. They dragged me from my house into the bush with guns, machetes and cutlasses.”
Eneware, a former officer of the Directorate of Army Public Relations (DAPR), said his wife and children escaped unharmed after hiding during the invasion.
“My wife hid somewhere with the children. They didn’t touch my family. Their target was to take people away.”
He recalled that while he and his neighbour were being marched through the bush, exhaustion overwhelmed him.
“I told them I couldn’t go any further. One of them kept hitting me with an iron rod. I kept saying, ‘I can’t move.’”
His refusal, or inability, to continue, he said, appeared to irritate the attackers.
“I think they realised I was slowing them down. That was when they shot me.”
The retired soldier said the terrorists fired at close range, striking him in the chest before abandoning him.
“They shot me in the chest and left me there. They thought I was dead.”
Against the odds, he regained consciousness.
“By the grace of God, I regained consciousness. Despite the pain and the blood loss, I managed to crawl and walk until I got close to some houses.”
Residents, terrified by the sound of sustained gunfire, initially refused to come out.
“Nobody wanted to open their doors because they were hearing gunshots. Eventually, some young men and security personnel got information and came to my rescue.”
He was rushed to the Nigerian Army Hospital and later transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja, where he underwent treatment.
“It was a terrible experience. It is only God that saved me.”
His neighbour, abducted during the raid, was later freed after a ransom payment.
Reflecting on the incident, Eneware expressed shock that terrorists could operate so freely in an area residents had long considered relatively safe.
“I never expected to see these people here. When you see them physically, they are the same terrorists whose pictures you see in the media. They are evil people-very evil.”
He warned that the attackers appeared familiar with the terrain and carefully selected vulnerable homes.
“They study the environment. They look for easy access and easy escape routes. They know what they are doing,” he said.
Since the attack, residents have begun reinforcing security around their homes by installing surveillance cameras, improving lighting and strengthening perimeter fences.
Although discharged from hospital, Eneware said he is still recovering from the physical and emotional scars of the attack.
“I am still in pain, but by God’s grace I am getting myself together.”
The incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks on communities bordering the Federal Capital Territory, fuelling renewed concerns over the activities of terrorist and kidnapping gangs operating in forests and rural settlements around Abuja despite sustained security operations.
