Nigeria: Kidnappers hold 166 Kaduna worshippers, demand N29m deposit

Kurmin Wali community in southern Kaduna has been thrown into panic following the mass abduction of 177 Christian worshippers, the second attack in a week.

On Sunday, gunmen attacked three churches in the community and whisked away more than 100 worshippers.

However, on Monday, the Kaduna State Government, police command and Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area dismissed the report as falsehood after Chairman, Northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Joseph Hayab, confirmed the incident to journalists in Kaduna.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, however, confirmed the abductions late Tuesday on X, saying earlier comments by the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State, CP Muhammad Rabiu, were “were not denials of the incident but a measured response pending confirmation of details from the field, including the identities and number of those affected.”

On Wednesday, The PUNCH findings showed that Kurmin Wali residents had abandoned their homes, while farms remained untended, with schools shut indefinitely.

Linus Abu, a villager, told The PUNCH that the community had barely recovered from an earlier attack on January 11, when suspected armed Fulani militia kidnapped several residents.

“We paid N23m as ransom before those kidnapped on January 11 were released,” Abu said. “The terrorists called us on the phone and gave instructions. Some of our people had to carry the money in sacks and take it to them inside the bush.”

According to reports, 11 of the 177 abducted villagers escaped but unlike the earlier attack, the abductors have not formally demanded ransom for the 166 victims – who include women and children – still in captivity from the January 18 attack.

The PUNCH learnt the bandits demanded the return of 17 motorcycles they allegedly lost during recent military operations as a condition for the release of the victims.

“They said each bike is worth N1.7m, and we must pay for all of them before they will demand the actual ransom for the hostages,” Abu said.

It means the villagers would be forced to pay about N28.9m for the motorcycles alone, separate from the ransom for the captives.

The village head of Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Dan’azumi, during a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, said the bandits contacted a negotiator on behalf of the Kurmin Wali community and insisted that the missing motorcycles must be returned before the captives could regain their freedom.

According to Dan’azumi, the armed men accused members of the Kurmin Wali community of stealing the motorcycles and tampering with others by removing carburettors and spark plugs.

They called the negotiator on the telephone and said that 17 of their motorcycles disappeared. They insisted that all the motorcycles must be returned before they will release our people,” the village head said.

He added that the bandits had not made any monetary ransom demand so far.

“Apart from the issue of the motorcycles and replacement of some parts, they have not asked for money,” he stated.

Dan’azumi further revealed that the mass abduction was linked to the ongoing military offensive against bandit camps in parts of Kajuru Local Government Area.

Already, fear has paralysed the entire community as most villagers fled their homes to neighbouring villages.

“There is no going to school, no going to the farm. Most of us have run away. We cannot stay here anymore,” Hasan Emman, a farmer, told The PUNCH on Wednesday.

“Right now, everyone is unsettled. We don’t even know where to start. How can we negotiate (with the abductors) when we are all scattered and afraid?”

The usually bustling village market was deserted during The PUNCH’s visit on Wednesday. Several shops were locked, and the few residents on the streets appeared anxious and unwilling to speak.

With no clear timeline for ransom negotiations, the fate of the abducted worshippers remains uncertain.

Family members voiced frustrations over what they described as the government’s denial of the incident and lack of security intervention.

“Our people are suffering in the forest, and the government is saying nothing happened,” one distraught resident said. “Who will help us?”

Church officials and survivors told The PUNCH that the coordinated attacks occurred at about 9am on Sunday, January 18, 2026, when armed men, wielding AK-47 rifles, simultaneously invaded multiple churches in the community.

The attackers, witnesses said, moved with precision, warning worshippers not to flee as they gathered people from different churches.

The Secretary of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Kurmin Wali, Yunana Dauji, said the assailants surrounded two branches of the church during worship and threatened anyone who attempted to escape.

“They forced worshippers to march from one church to another, gathering over 50 people from our denomination alone before leading everyone away,” Dauji said.

The Evangelical Church Winning All was also targeted. Its secretary, Joseph Bawa, said the gunmen burst into the church shouting and immediately began seizing worshippers.

“They gathered people from different churches and marched all of us together into the forest,” Bawa said.

Among those abducted is the Village Head of Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Danazumi. His son, Linus Madami, confirmed that the traditional ruler later escaped alongside 10 others.

“My father managed to escape, but his two wives and two children are still with the kidnappers,” Madami said.

“In total, 177 people were taken that morning. I narrowly escaped after struggling with one of the gunmen.”

Some captives escaped during the trek through the forest. Bawa explained that when the abducted group reached a shallow river, the kidnappers ordered everyone to cross.

“A few people deliberately slowed down. Once the kidnappers crossed to the other side, those who slowed down ran back towards the village because the attackers could not cross back quickly,” he said.

Military reacts

Multiple military sources confirmed to The PUNCH that the attack was carried out by bandits fleeing sustained military operations in parts of neighbouring Kauru Local Government Area.

According to the sources, troops had recently dislodged armed groups from key hideouts, forcing them to abandon their camps and scatter into nearby areas, including Kajuru.

“The assailants were forced out of their camps during intense military offensives and allegedly carried out the mass abduction while attempting to escape mounting pressure from security forces,” one of the sources said.

The affected camps, located around Gabachua, Legede and the Agwalla mountain and forest corridors, were described as long-established enclaves used by bandits to launch kidnappings, cattle rustling and violent attacks across Kauru, Kajuru and adjoining communities.

Another military source explained that the attack on Kurmin Wali was not random but appeared to be retaliatory.

“The bandits lost logistics, including motorcycles used for mobility and operations. The abduction was allegedly aimed at compensating for those losses and instilling fear as they fled the area,” the source disclosed.

The source added that following actionable intelligence on the movement of the fleeing bandits, troops were deployed to intercept them.

However, the attackers reportedly diverted towards the mountainous forest belts around the Karamai and Rijana axis, taking advantage of the rugged terrain to evade capture.

As a result, troops have been placed on full alert, with what military authorities described as “exploitation and hot pursuit operations” ongoing across the forest corridors and surrounding bushes.

“Operations are ongoing to stabilise the area, track the fleeing criminals and rescue the abducted victims,” a security source said.

The latest abduction has again underscored the persistent security challenges in parts of Southern and Central Kaduna, where armed banditry has thrived for more than a decade, largely due to vast ungoverned forest spaces and porous inter-state borders.

Communities in Kauru and Kajuru LGAs have repeatedly been targeted despite intensified military operations under various Federal Government security initiatives.

While recent offensives have led to the destruction of several bandit camps and the neutralisation of suspected criminals, security analysts warn that dislodged fighters often resort to attacking soft targets while attempting to evade capture.

Residents and community leaders in the affected LGAs have therefore urged the Federal and Kaduna State governments to sustain military pressure, deploy additional troops and improve intelligence gathering to protect vulnerable communities and ensure the safe rescue of the abducted worshippers.

Meanwhile, the Commandant of the 2 National Mission Force Brigade, Samaru Kataf, Navy Captain I.T. Akaazua, disclosed that troops had rescued three kidnapped victims, including a child, and destroyed several terrorist camps in parts of Kauru Local Government Area.

Speaking with The PUNCH on the telephone, Akaazua said the camps, which had for years served as enclaves for terrorists, were dismantled during sustained military operations, leading to gradual restoration of peace in the area.

“Apart from a previous operation where about 70 terrorists were neutralised, another operation carried out on Tuesday led to the rescue of three victims, including a child,” he said.

He explained that troops engaged the terrorists in fierce gun battles, noting that the criminals had an advantage due to the dense forest and difficult terrain.

“They know the terrain better than us because of the density of the forest. Most of the affected communities are remote villages with little or no security presence, and security personnel cannot be everywhere,” he said.

Akaazua added that only a few camps located deep inside extremely thick forest areas could not be accessed.

“The only camps not destroyed are those in areas we could not access. To reach some of these locations, we use cross-country motorcycles where vehicles cannot move,” he stated.

He advised residents of remote communities to strengthen local vigilante groups to provide timely intelligence to security forces.

On whether the military operation in Kauru was directly linked to the abduction in Kurmin Wali, Akaazua said there was no confirmed intelligence establishing a direct connection.

“Personally, I do not have any intelligence report linking the two incidents. However, during the operation, we intercepted radio communications where they were calling for reinforcement, but none came. We engaged them before River Kaduna, which they could not cross,” he said.

He added that there were significant casualties on the side of the terrorists, although the exact figure could not be immediately ascertained.

The brigade commander also appealed to governments at all levels to prioritise road construction to improve access to remote communities, noting that poor infrastructure continues to hamper security operations.

‘Coordinated attacks’

Meanwhile, the Adara Development Association, in a statement on Wednesday, raised the alarm over the abducted villagers, saying the victims were abducted during coordinated attacks on three churches.

The statement, signed by its President, Chief Sebastine Barde, added that the gunmen struck at about 10am, surrounding worshippers at two congregations of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Churches I and II during service, while members of the ECWA were abducted as they returned home from worship.

The group gave a breakdown of the abducted victims as 50 members of Cherubim and Seraphim Church I, 92 members of Cherubim and Seraphim Church II, and 24 members of ECWA.

“With profound anguish and a deep sense of collective humiliation, the Adara people have once again been forced to endure terrorist-driven insecurity,” the association said.

It described the attack as part of a pattern of repeated violence in Adara communities, adding that the impact of the insecurity had been devastating.

“These attacks have become so frequent and pervasive that they now defy accurate documentation, leaving behind economic ruin, deepening poverty and severe social, religious and psychological dislocation,” the statement read.

“Shockingly, no swift or effective intervention was undertaken. The victims were abandoned to an ordeal of unimaginable suffering, the duration and outcome of which remain known only to God.”

ADA also accused the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, and the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government, Dauda Madaki, of deliberately denying the abduction after visiting the community on Monday.

The association claimed that despite receiving direct accounts from residents confirming the mass abduction, the officials publicly dismissed the incident as rumours.

“Rather than acknowledge the gravity of the situation, both officials described verified reports as rumours allegedly spread by conflict entrepreneurs,” the group stated.

ADA said the response represented a return to what it described as the insensitivity of the Nasir El-Rufai administration, adding that it was particularly diThe association demanded a public apology from both the commissioner of police and the council chairman for what it described as the deliberate suppression of the truth.

It also called on Governor Uba Sani to intervene decisively, saying his leadership was needed to draw a clear line between the current administration and past failures.

“We call on the governor to demonstrate moral clarity by saying and doing what is right. Only through decisive action can a credible distinction be drawn,” the statement said.

ADA further appealed to the Federal Government, the Kaduna State Government and “people of goodwill” to ensure the speedy rescue of the abducted worshippers and provide lasting security for Adara communities.

“Our people continue to suffer systematic brutality, displacement and dehumanisation on our ancestral lands, with devastating consequences,” the group added.