Retired Army Officer Surv!ves Gunsh0t to Chest After Terrorists Left Him for D£ad in Karshi, Abuja
Retired Army Officer Survives Gunshot to Chest After Terrorists Left Him for Dead in Karshi, Abuja
A retired Nigerian Army Master Warrant Officer, Michael Eneware, narrowly escaped death after suspected terrorists shot him in the chest and abandoned him in a bush during a midnight kidnapping raid on Karshi, one of Abuja’s satellite communities, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. The attackers, who stormed the neighbourhood shortly after 1:00 a.m., moved from house to house in search of victims to abduct for ransom, exploiting an unfinished perimeter fence to gain access to Eneware’s compound before forcing their way into his home.
According to Eneware, who last served at the Nigerian Army War College, Abuja, the heavily armed gunmen dragged him and his neighbour out of their houses into the bush. “They came to my house around 1:00 a.m. 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 told The Guardian. “They were shooting, breaking doors and destroying property. They dragged me out of my house into the bush with guns, machetes and cutlasses.”
As the gunmen marched him and his neighbour through the bush, exhaustion overwhelmed the retired officer. “I told them I couldn’t go any further. One of them kept hitting me with an iron rod, but I kept saying, ‘I can’t move,'” he recounted. His inability to keep up appeared to irritate the attackers. “I think they realised I was slowing them down. That was when they shot me.” The bullet struck him in the chest at close range. “They shot me in the chest and left me there. They thought I was dead.”
Against all odds, Eneware 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.” Terrified residents, who had been listening to the sustained gunfire, were initially too frightened to come outside. “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 before being transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja, where he received further treatment. “It was a terrible experience. It is only God that saved me,” he said. His neighbour, who was abducted during the raid, was later released after a ransom was reportedly paid.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Eneware expressed disbelief that terrorists could operate so freely in an area many residents had considered relatively safe. “I never expected to see these people here. When you see them physically, they are the same terrorists you see in the media. They are evil people,” he said. He warned that the attackers appeared familiar with the community and deliberately targeted vulnerable homes. “They study the environment. They know where to enter and how to escape. They know exactly what they are doing.”
The attack has heightened anxiety among residents of Karshi and neighbouring communities, many of whom have begun installing surveillance cameras, reinforcing perimeter fences, and improving security around their homes. Although discharged from hospital, Eneware said he remains in pain and is still recovering from the traumatic experience. “I am recovering gradually, but the experience will remain with me for a long time.” The latest attack adds to growing concerns over the persistent wave of kidnappings and violent crimes targeting residents in communities on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory.
