Is Abuja Safe? Four Stories From One Week That Demand an Answer
Abuja is Nigeria’s capital. The city of power, policy, diplomacy, ministries and the Aso Rock Villa that houses the president of the country. It is the city that was purpose-built to project order, neutrality, and a vision of what Nigeria could be. It is also, in the space of a single week in May 2026, the city where a billionaire was stabbed to death by his son, a footballer was found dead in suspicious circumstances, a trusted chef allegedly drugged his employers and stripped their home of ₦150 million — and where a 26-year-old barber trying to celebrate the new year is now suing the police for ₦1 billion because they blinded him.
The big question: is Abuja safe?
A billionaire’s last night in Guzape
On the evening of May 15, Chief Godwin Chinedu Lucky Adimike — a Lagos-based electronics importer and real estate mogul worth billions — was at his luxury home at 3 Hassan Adamu Street, Guzape, visiting his first son, a serving NYSC corps member managing some of his Abuja real estate interests. The son had returned from a night out when an argument broke out over money — specifically, accusations that the father was “unfair,” that friends with less wealthy fathers had been bought cars, and that business funds had been mismanaged. The argument escalated. The FCT Police Command confirmed that the billionaire was rushed to Karu General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Five suspects, allegedly friends of the son, were detained. Forensic analysis of the cordoned apartment is ongoing.
The victim was 53. His son, the alleged killer, is 21. Guzape is one of Abuja’s most affluent neighbourhoods but here, wealth did not protect him.
The footballer who came home and didn’t leave
Victor Udoh was 21 years old, engaged to be married, and had just returned to Abuja for a visit. The footballer, former Southampton and Royal Antwerp winger, was found dead on May 25, with early reports suggesting suspected food or alcohol poisoning. He had gone out to a social gathering the night before and was discovered lifeless the following morning. Authorities have not issued an official cause of death.
Belgian media described the circumstances as suspicious. In Nigeria, we would call it village people. And he fit the target – he had made it to Europe, then earned a professional contract in England and then in the Czech Republic. And then the icing on the cake is that he had just proposed to his fiancée. Only to come home and not leave. Victor Udoh’s mother reportedly had the deceased’s friends and his girlfriend arrested in Abuja. This arrest signals that the family does not accept a natural death or accidental poisoning. They probably suspect something was done to their son but are yet to speak publicly.
The chef who studied the house before he robbed it
Private Chef John Cosmos Govi was not a stranger to the home he robbed. He had been hired as a personal chef, trusted enough to prepare food for the family and to move through the house daily. According to police findings, he spent that period studying the movement of the occupants, internal routines, and security setup before executing the operation on April 23, 2026. Food served that evening was allegedly laced with a sedative. Once the occupants and security personnel were incapacitated, the suspect disabled the CCTV systems and removed cash and 20 luxury wristwatches worth approximately ₦150 million. The Nigerian Police Force intercepted Govi fleeing toward Lagos at the Gwagwalada axis. For this family, the danger did not come from outside the gate but from their own kitchen.
The barber who lost his eye on New Year’s Eve
While the police have been helpful on the other cases, in this one, they are allegedly the cause of pain for this Abuja barber. Abraham Emmanuel, a 26-year-old living in Bwari Area Council in Abuja’s outskirts had just returned from church on the last day of 2025 when he was attacked. He says he was standing near his father’s residence on Sabon Gari Road when police officers allegedly fired a tear gas canister during a crossover operation. It struck him in the eye and he lost it permanently.
He filed a lawsuit– FHC/ABJ/CS/256/2026 at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the Nigeria Police Force and the DPO of Bwari Division, seeking a declaration that the firing was unlawful and demanding ₦1 billion in compensation. Human Rights groups who took up his case say the same operation involved over 90 arrests, alleged extortion of detainees, multiple assaults on bystanders, and at least one death linked to the chaos. The DPO, according to advocates, remains in his post.
Abraham was in front of his father’s house and that didn’t save him. He is now partially blind and fighting the institution that blinded him — with no guarantee the institution will face any consequence.
So. Is Abuja safe?
These four stories, all in a single week, expose something sinister: the danger is within or even worse from the very institution paid to prevent danger. Abuja is not uniquely dangerous. But it is no longer plausibly deniable that the city’s reputation for relative calm is holding.
The powerful women who wore the ‘Zara’ headgear through history
The term ‘Zara headgear’ was coined that way after Zara Buhari-Indimi, daughter of former Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari. Zara is known for her colourful headgear, with a front portion wrapped around the forehead and knotted at the back in a large bun.
Before Zara Buhari, they were other publicly recognised women who were known for a similar headgear style. Each of these women led their lives with power and grace showing that this head scarf just might be synonymous with a strong woman.
Hajiya Gambo Sawaba
This women’s rights activist, politician and philanthropist was jailed 16 times, publicly flogged, and surgically altered by the injuries she endured in prison. Yet, she absorbed all of it and kept fighting until northern women could vote, go to school, and be seen. All while in her stylish and colorful scarves
Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan — “Mama Taraba”
She became the first female Attorney General of Taraba State, the first woman in FCT judicial history to serve as Secretary of its Judicial Council, and the first Nigerian woman declared elected governor by a tribunal — all while looking immaculate and refusing, publicly, to rubber-stamp a sitting president she believed had failed Nigerians. This is power wielded honestly.
Hannatu Musawa
She has used the most visible cultural portfolio in Nigeria’s to push for the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes, reposition Nigerian fashion and music on the global stage, and personally show up — in correct local attire — to every cultural festival worth attending across the country’s six geopolitical zones. She dresses like she believes in the culture she represents.
Zara Buhari-Indimi
Through her ZMB Foundation and in collaboration with the Attom Foundation, she has channelled charity football events and high-profile partnerships into sustainable projects supporting women, children, and youth across Nigeria — operating quietly, consistently, and without the political spotlight her surname could easily have made her the centre of.
Was Bashir El-Rufai toasting a new woman on Twitter?
Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai (and one of Nigerian Twitter’s most combustible personalities), generated significant buzz when he posted on X, allegedly making romantic advances publicly. The since deleted post went viral and had individuals questioning his last marriage that went semi-viral. In 2020, he was married to a woman named Halima Nwakaego Kazaure, daughter of the former Minister of Labour and Productivity.
In his post, he insinuated that he wanted a baby from the woman who he appeared to be wooing. When asked, he said he was divorced and that the new lady he was publicly interacting with was his fiancé.
Bashir also said that Halima was the one who proposed to him. Halima is yet to respond to these allegations.
The Best Meat Spots in Abuja
In the spirit of Eid, the Daily Circular Newsroom has ranked some of the top spots to get the best meat in the City of Abuja. Expect juicy, tender and delicious cuts of meat from these spots. Thank us later!
- IS Suya
- Yahuza Suya
- Abuja Ram Suya
- Today’s Bukka
- Papiee’s Meatro
- Village Chief
