KADUNA STATE, Nigeria — A coordinated assault by armed militants on multiple churches in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State has resulted in the mass abduction of over 160 Christian worshippers, igniting a fierce dispute between local community leaders and state authorities who are publicly denying the incident occurred.
The attacks unfolded on Sunday when large numbers of assailants, locally referred to as ‘bandits,’ blockaded church entrances in the Kurmin Wali village area during worship services and forcibly marched congregants into nearby wilderness. Reverend Joseph Hayab, regional head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, confirmed that 172 individuals were initially seized, with nine managing to escape, leaving 163 in captivity.
Contradicting this account, Kaduna State police commissioner Muhammad Rabiu asserted that after dispatching officers to the alleged crime scene, no evidence of an attack or kidnappings was found. State commissioner for internal security Sule Shauibu similarly dismissed reports as ‘totally false,’ citing absence of proof.
However, Ishaku Dan’azumi, a traditional chief in Kurmin Wali, provided a detailed testimony indicating even higher numbers—177 abducted from three churches, with 11 escapes, resulting in 166 currently held. He emphasized the community’s prolonged suffering from recurrent kidnappings, which have severely disrupted agricultural activities and local livelihoods.
This incident reflects broader patterns of violence in northwestern and central Nigeria, where criminal gangs routinely execute village raids, mass abductions, and lootings. According to a recent SBM Intelligence report, kidnapping has evolved into a structured, profit-driven industry, generating approximately $1.66 million in ransoms between mid-2024 and mid-2025.
Kaduna State, particularly the Kajuru district, remains a hotspot for such violence, often superficially framed along religious lines—Christian farmers versus Fulani Muslim herders—but fundamentally rooted in competition over land and scarce resources. Nigeria’s pervasive security challenges continue to draw international concern, exemplified by recent U.S. military strikes in neighboring Sokoto State targeting ISIS-affiliated militants.