Armed gangs kidnapped scores of worshippers from two churches in Nigeria’s Kaduna State on Sunday, in one of the latest mass abductions to strike the country, according to local police and church officials.
Authorities said gunmen wielding “sophisticated weapons” stormed the churches in Kurmin Wali, a forest community in Afogo ward, at about 11:25 a.m. local time. The attackers blocked entrances and forced congregants into the bush.
“The attackers came in numbers and blocked the entrance of the churches and forced the worshippers out into the bush,” Rev. Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the north, told Agence France-Presse. Speaking later to Reuters, he added: “Information came to me from the elders of the churches that 172 worshippers were abducted while nine escaped.”
Local police initially reported “dozens” of victims, but church leaders said the number was far higher.
The assault underscores the growing threat posed by criminal gangs, known locally as “bandits,” who have carried out repeated kidnappings in northern and central Nigeria, targeting both Christians and Muslims in pursuit of ransom payments.
In November, more than 300 students and teachers were seized from a Catholic school in the region. They were later released in two groups, part of a spate of kidnappings that drew international attention.
Nigeria faces multiple overlapping security crises: ransom kidnappings by armed gangs, a long-running Islamist insurgency in the northeast, separatist violence in the southeast, and deadly clashes between herders and farmers in the central belt over land and water. Analysts say corruption, poor intelligence sharing and underfunded local policing have hampered efforts to contain the violence.
The country’s defense minister resigned last month amid the escalating crisis, officially citing health reasons, according to the president’s office.
The United States has recently stepped up its military involvement. On Christmas Day, American forces launched airstrikes on two camps run by an Islamist militant group in northwestern Nigeria. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump warned of further strikes if attacks on Christians continued.
Nigeria, home to more than 250 ethnic groups, is roughly divided between a predominantly Muslim north and a largely Christian south, with significant intermingling in the middle. Officials stress that victims of violence have come from all faiths.
Responding to Mr. Trump’s warning, Nigerian foreign ministry spokesman Alkasim Abdulkadir said the government would continue to work with international partners. “Nigeria remains committed to protecting all citizens, Christians and Muslims alike, without discrimination,” he said.
Meanwhile Nigerian air force strikes destroyed about 10 canoes and killed more than 40 militants preparing attacks in Borno state, the military said late on Sunday, in the latest in a series of operations targeting groups around Lake Chad.
Borno, where fighters from militant groups Boko Haram and ISWAP have recently intensified attacks on military convoys and civilians, remains the epicentre of the 17-year Islamist insurgency in the northeast of the country.
According to officials, airstrikes on January 15 and 16 in the Musarram and Azir communities signalled renewed military pressure on insurgents who still use the region’s rugged terrain to launch raids on troops and nearby communities.
The air force said it hit militants in Musarram on Thursday after intelligence showed they were massing in canoes to attack Baga town and the fish dam area of Lake Chad.
