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From Ndubuisi Orji, Sola Ojo, Abuja and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Controversy, claims, counterclaims and denials have trailed the reported abduction of over worshippers during church services in Kurmin Wali village, Afogo Ward of Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State on Sunday.
There are conflicting figures on the development; some claimed 168 while another put the figure at 172.
The mass abduction was said to have occurred simultaneously in three churches: one Catholic Church and two Cherubim and Seraphim churches, while worship was ongoing, according to multiple local sources. Most of the abducted victims are children and youths, residents said, noting that the Cherubim and Seraphim Church is the dominant denomination in the area, accounting for the large number of young worshippers present at the time of the attack.
The sources confirmed that nine of the victims escaped from their abductors while 168 others are still being held in captivity as of the time of filing this report.
“They came in a commando manner, laid siege to the three churches, shut the doors and filed out worshipers into the forest.
“The amazing thing is that the people were herded towards the same forest which we have reported to the security agents several times,” one of the sources said.
The incident has thrown Kurmin Wali and the surrounding communities into confusion with families anxiously awaiting the safe return of their loved ones.
Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kajuru Local Government Area, Rev. Enoch Kaura, other community and church sources confirmed the incident.
Residents have called on the state and federal governments to urgently intervene, intensify security operations in the area, and secure the immediate release of the abducted worshippers.
Chairman of CAN in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, maintained that the abduction occurred.
He said he received a distress call from the CAN chairman in Kajuru, reporting that worshippers were abducted from two Cherubim and Seraphim churches during Sunday services.
Hayab stated eight victims escaped, while 163 others remain in captivity, adding that security agencies were already responding to the situation.
Another source said the abductions were true, even though the abductors did not destroy the structure as they used to do in the past.
The reported mass abduction is coming barely a week after Rev. Hayab, raised the alarm that terrorists were planning to attack Christian communities, to make a ‘fool’ of the ongoing collaboration between the Federal Government and the United States to address the country’s ravaging insecurity.
•It’s not true – Govt, police
Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu, has described the reported abduction as “mere falsehood being peddled by conflict entrepreneurs who want to cause chaos in Kaduna State.”
Addressing reporters after the State Security Council meeting at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House yesterday, the police boss challenged anyone to list the names of the kidnapped victims and other particulars.
Alhaji Rabiu warned rumour mongers to desist from trying to derail the prevailing peace in Kaduna State, threatening that full wrath of the law will be visited on such merchants of falsehood.
Chairman of Kajuru Local Government, Dauda Madaki, said when he heard rumour of the attack, he mobilised the police and other security forces to the area, Kurmin Wali, but found out that there was no attack.
“We visited the church where the so-called kidnap took place. There was no evidence of the attack. I asked the village head, Mai Dan Zaria, and he said there was no such attack.
I also called the youth leader of the area, Bernard Bona, who was interviewed by press men that accompanied me, and he said no such thing happened.
‘’So, I challenge anyone to name the people that were kidnapped and I have been waiting for this list and no one has come forward with a name.
‘’I believe that the rumour of the kidnap is being sponsored by people who are not happy with the relative peace that Kajuru has been enjoying since the coming of this administration.’’
He advised the people of the area to remain calm and go about their lawful businesses, adding that they should report any suspicious movements and rumour mongers to security agents.
In his response, Commissioner of Internal Security and Home, Sule Shauibu, said CAN chairman and other religious leaders have interacted with the people of the area where the so-called kidnap occurred. ‘’They found out that what was pushed out to the public sphere was completely false. Kaduna State Government has zero tolerance for criminality.’’
•PDP reacts
Notwithstanding the CP’s denial, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, yesterday, said the abduction of the worshipers by suspected bandits, is a sad reminder of the “normalisation of insecurity” across the country.
The opposition party noted that insecurity has become a new reality in Nigeria, owing to the failure of the President Bola Tinubu led Federal Government to secure the country.
It noted that, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kajuru Local Government Area, bandits had stormed the area, at the middle of a service and abducted 172 worshipers, out of which nine escaped.
The PDP called on the Federal Government to immediately commence a comprehensive rescue operation to bring the victims back to their homes safely.
“These frequent attacks on worshippers in their places of worship, irrespective of religion, represent the inability of this government to protect the constitutionally enshrined right to freedom of worship. Nigerians must not live in fear when going to churches or mosques to worship. The entrenchment of such brazen criminality under this administration is totally unacceptable.
“We hereby call on the APC-led Federal Government to immediately commence comprehensive rescue operations to bring these kidnapped citizens home safely. We urge them not to dramatize this sad situation the way they did with the Niger school kidnapping, where media optics prevailed over identity protection and safeguarding during the ‘rescue and return’ processes of the victims.
“The President should concentrate on fixing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity instead of spending millions of taxpayers’ money on international image laundering campaigns to change narratives abroad. Insecurity cannot be solved by propaganda. The families suffering these tragedies will communicate their pain regardless of how much money is spent on image management,” the PDP stated.
It added that “we are convinced that if state policing had been operational, these criminals may not have successfully operated with such impunity and taken this large number of people captive. The Federal Government must urgently double its efforts at combating banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
“The protection of citizens is government’s primary constitutional responsibility. Every Nigerian deserves to worship in safety. The Tinubu administration must demonstrate that Nigerian lives matter through immediate action, not empty promises. The families of the 163 kidnap victims anxiously await their return.”
