Nigeria’s police have confirmed that worshippers were abducted from three churches in the northern state of Kaduna, reversing an earlier position that had cast doubt on reports of a mass kidnapping.
In a statement issued late on Tuesday, police said that a previous announcement denying the incident had been “widely misinterpreted”, adding that subsequent checks by operational units and intelligence sources confirmed that an abduction had taken place in Kurmin Wali village.
Police acknowledge kidnapping after initial rejection
The confirmation comes more than two days after the attack, which local residents say occurred on Sunday morning at around 10:00 local time. According to witnesses, armed men surrounded the village, preventing people from fleeing before forcing worshippers to march into nearby bushland.
Local sources told the BBC that 177 worshippers were abducted, with 11 later managing to escape. Police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin did not confirm numbers but said security forces had been fully deployed and that search-and-rescue operations were under way.
He added that the earlier statement “was not a denial of the incident but a measured response pending confirmation of details from the field, including the identities and number of those affected”.
Conflicting official accounts
On Monday, Nigeria Police in Kaduna had rejected claims of a kidnapping. State police commissioner Muhammad Rabiu told journalists there was “no evidence to suggest that a kidnap happened” and challenged anyone to produce the names of alleged victims.
Similarly, the chairman of Kajuru local government area, Dauda Madaki, said security personnel sent to Kurmin Wali found no signs of an attack, quoting the village head as saying no such incident had taken place.
However, a list seen by the BBC on Tuesday contained more than 160 names of alleged abductees, although the document has not been independently verified.
Churches targeted in the attack
Residents said the abductions affected three churches: two belonging to the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church and one from the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA).
One eyewitness described how armed men gathered worshippers together after the services before leading them away from the village.
Amnesty criticises authorities
Human rights group Amnesty International criticised Nigerian authorities over what it called the “desperate denial” of the kidnapping.
“Authorities must also take immediate and concrete measures to prevent rampant abductions that are gradually becoming the norm in Nigeria,” the organisation said.
A wider security crisis
The Kaduna incident comes amid a broader security crisis in Nigeria, where kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs have become increasingly common.
In November, more than 300 students and teachers were abducted from a Catholic school in neighbouring Niger state before being released in stages. Such attacks have drawn international attention and highlighted the country’s deepening security challenges.
Nigeria is also grappling with an Islamist insurgency in the north-east, separatist violence in the south-east, and long-running clashes between herders and farmers in central regions over land and water. Analysts say corruption, poor intelligence sharing and underfunded local policing have weakened efforts to contain the violence.
International pressure and response
Nigeria’s defence minister resigned last month at the height of the kidnapping crisis, officially for health reasons, according to the presidency.
The United States has also stepped up pressure. On Christmas Day, US forces carried out airstrikes on camps run by an Islamist militant group in north-western Nigeria. US President Donald Trump later warned of further action if Christians continued to be killed in the country.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry responded by stressing that the government remained committed to protecting all citizens, regardless of faith, and would continue to engage constructively with international partners.
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