Armed gunmen stormed three churches in Nigeria's Kaduna state during Sunday morning services, abducting dozens of worshippers in a coordinated attack that has left authorities scrambling to determine the exact number of victims. The simultaneous raids targeted congregations in the Kurmin Wali community of Kajuru area at approximately 11:25 a.m. local time on January 19.
Kaduna state police confirmed the attack occurred but have not verified the number of abductees, citing the remote location and difficulty obtaining reliable information. The uncertainty has left families and church leaders filling the information void with conflicting tallies, underscoring the challenges Nigerian authorities face in responding to mass kidnappings in hard-to-reach rural areas where criminal gangs operate with relative impunity.
Attack details and immediate aftermath
The attackers, described only as armed bandits carrying sophisticated weapons, targeted three houses of worship: an Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) congregation, a Cherubim and Seraphim church, and a Catholic church. All three were holding services when the gunmen arrived.
State lawmaker Usman Danlami Stingo told Reuters that 177 people were initially reported missing following the raids. He said 11 individuals have since returned, leaving 166 people unaccounted for. Reverend John Hayab, vice president of the Christian Association of Nigeria's northern region, provided slightly different figures, stating that 172 worshippers were kidnapped, with nine managing to escape, leaving 163 currently held captive.
The discrepancy highlights the confusion that typically follows mass abductions in Nigeria's northwest and north-central regions, where poor telecommunications infrastructure and distances from urban centers delay verification. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which follows an established pattern of kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs operating across northern Nigeria.
Members are reading: Why verification delays give kidnappers a critical advantage in ransom negotiations.
Broader security context
Sunday's church abductions represent the latest in a series of mass kidnappings plaguing northern Nigeria, where armed criminal gangs operate across porous state boundaries. The Nigerian government has consistently rejected characterizations of such attacks as targeting Christians specifically, stating that victims include people of all faiths. Schools have been particularly vulnerable, with the Kebbi school abduction exposing failures in Nigeria's safe schools initiative.
The focus now turns to whether Kaduna state authorities can verify the number of victims and establish contact with the abductors. For families in Kurmin Wali, the distinction between 163 and 166 missing matters less than the shared reality: their relatives remain in the hands of armed criminals, and the wait for information—or ransom demands—has begun.
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