Kaduna state kidnap: Nigeria police confirm church abductions after earlier denial

Nigeria’s police have officially confirmed the abduction of a group of worshippers from three churches in the remote Kurmin Wali area of Kaduna state, a stark reversal of their earlier denials. The confirmation came more than two days after the raid, with police acknowledging that a prior statement had been "widely misinterpreted." Local residents, however, have provided harrowing accounts, stating that 177 worshippers were taken, with 11 managing to escape. Police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin, while not confirming specific numbers, stated that subsequent checks by operational units and intelligence sources had corroborated the abduction. He elaborated that the initial statement was not a denial but a "measured response pending confirmation of details from the field, including the identities and number of those affected." Security forces have since been deployed to the area, with search-and-rescue operations and patrols actively underway.

An eyewitness described the chilling events of Sunday morning, stating that the attack commenced around 10:00 local time. "Some people tried to run, but they couldn’t because the armed men had surrounded the village," the witness recounted. "They gathered people together and later forced them to march into the bush." The assailants targeted three specific churches: Pentecostal Fellowship Assembly (PFA) Church 1, Pentecostal Fellowship Assembly (PFA) Church 2, and the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Church, according to residents. This incident starkly contrasts with the initial pronouncements from Kaduna state police commissioner Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu, who on Monday, speaking to journalists, stated, "We got a report that 300 people were kidnapped in Kurmin Wali and we sent our officers, soldiers and vigilante and at this time there is no evidence to suggest that a kidnap happened." He had further challenged, "anyone to list the names of the kidnapped victims and other particulars." Dauda Madaki, the chairman of Kajuru local government area, which encompasses Kurmin Wali, echoed the sentiment of the police commissioner, reporting that security forces dispatched to the scene found no evidence of an attack. "We visited the church where the so-called kidnap took place. There was no evidence of the attack. I asked the village head, Mai Dan Zaria, and he said that there was no such attack," Madaki stated.

The delayed confirmation and initial denials have drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations. Amnesty International has decried the authorities’ "desperate denial" of the kidnapping, urging them to implement "immediate and concrete measures to prevent rampant abductions that are gradually becoming the norm in Nigeria." A list of those reportedly kidnapped, seen by the BBC on Tuesday, contains over 160 names, although this remains unverified independently.

This latest incident in Kaduna is indicative of a broader and deeply concerning trend of insecurity plaguing Nigeria. In November, a shocking event saw over 300 students and teachers abducted from a Catholic school in neighbouring Niger state, with their eventual release occurring in two separate groups. This mass abduction, which garnered significant international attention, is part of a wider pattern of kidnappings that have become a grim reality for many Nigerians. The nation grapples with a multifaceted security crisis, encompassing not only these religiously motivated or opportunistic abductions for ransom carried out by criminal gangs, but also a protracted Islamist insurgency in the North-East, burgeoning separatist violence in the South-East, and escalating conflicts between herders and farmers in the central regions over dwindling resources.

Experts attribute the persistent security challenges to a confluence of factors, including pervasive corruption, a lack of effective intelligence sharing between security agencies, and chronically underfunded local policing structures. These systemic weaknesses have significantly hampered efforts to effectively combat the various crises plaguing the country. In a move that underscored the gravity of the situation, Nigeria’s defence minister resigned last month amidst the height of the kidnapping crisis, citing health reasons, according to the president’s office.

The international community has also taken notice, with the United States increasing its military involvement in Nigeria. On Christmas Day, US forces launched airstrikes targeting two camps operated by an Islamist militant group in north-western Nigeria. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump issued a warning of further strikes should Christians continue to face persecution and violence in the West African nation. Nigeria, a diverse country with over 250 ethnic groups, is broadly divided into a predominantly Muslim North and a largely Christian South, with a middle belt where religious communities intermingle. The Nigerian government maintains that individuals of all faiths have been victims of attacks. In response to President Trump’s warning, a Nigerian foreign ministry spokesman, Alkasim Abdulkadir, stated that Nigeria remains committed to constructive engagement with its international partners, including the United States, and "to protecting all citizens, Christians and Muslims alike, without discrimination."

The complexities of Nigeria’s security landscape are further highlighted by the diverse motivations behind the violence. While criminal gangs engage in kidnapping for financial gain, extremist groups pursue ideological objectives, and inter-communal clashes are often driven by resource scarcity and ethnic tensions. The government’s ability to effectively address these interwoven challenges is continually tested, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive and coordinated security reforms, alongside socio-economic development initiatives. The recurring nature of these abductions, particularly from places of worship, raises profound questions about the state’s capacity to protect its citizens and maintain law and order across its vast and varied territory. The plight of communities in Kaduna state, and indeed across Nigeria, remains a critical concern, demanding sustained attention and robust action from both domestic authorities and the international community.