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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Until violence forced their names into the news, Tudun Biri, Kuriga and Kurmin Wali were little more than dots on the map; quiet, rural communities in Kaduna State where life only revolved around farming, worship and family ties, with poor roads, weak mobile networks and near-absence of government presence defined daily existence.
Ironically, it was banditry and tragic security failures that dragged these forgotten communities into national and global consciousness, sparking attention that decades of peaceful existence never achieved.
For residents of Tudun Biri in Igabi Local Government Area, December 3, 2023 remains an unforgettable date. What should have been a joyous gathering turned into mass mourning when a Nigerian Army drone strike, aimed at suspected bandits, mistakenly hit the village. No fewer than 88 civilians were killed.
Images and reports of the tragedy travelled far beyond Kaduna, drawing international outrage and forcing the government to acknowledge a community many Nigerians had never heard of before.
In the weeks that followed, Tudun Biri saw an unusual influx of officials, security assessments and promises of compensation, rehabilitation and infrastructure, attention that had eluded it for generations.
Barely three months later, Kuriga, a sleepy town in Chikun local government area, was thrust into the global spotlight. On March 7, 2024, more than 200 schoolchildren were abducted from their school premises while gathered for morning assembly. Gunmen on motorcycles stormed the area in broad daylight, overwhelming the school and disappearing into the surrounding forests.
The attack, believed to involve a Boko Haram faction, revived global concerns about school safety in Nigeria and prompted renewed diplomatic and security engagements. For Kuriga, the tragedy also meant emergency deployments, road grading, and renewed talks of establishing permanent security posts.
Now, Kurmin Wali, a predominantly Christian community in Afogo Ward of Kajuru local government area, has joined the grim list of places whose pain became their passport to national relevance.
On January 18, armed men struck during church services, abducting no fewer than 168 worshippers from three churches; one Catholic and two Cherubim and Seraphim congregations.
Conflicting figures put the number between 168 and 172, but what remains clear is that the victims were largely children and youths, reflecting the youthful makeup of worshippers in the area.
Eyewitnesses described the attackers as moving “in a commando manner.” They reportedly laid siege to the churches, locked the doors, and calmly marched worshippers into the forest, towards a known hideout that residents said they had repeatedly reported to security agencies.
Nine victims were said to have managed to escape, but scores remain in captivity, leaving families shattered and the community paralysed by fear at the time of this report.
The attack came barely a week after the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the North, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, warned of planned assaults on Christian communities, allegedly aimed at undermining ongoing security collaboration between Nigeria and the United States. His warning now appears chillingly prophetic to residents of Kurmin Wali.
As news of the abduction spread, the once-obscure village became a focal point of national debate, religious advocacy and security concern.
This was just as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), expressed disappointment with the Police authority, saying, the initial public denial of reports on the abduction of 170 worshippers in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, by the Nigeria Police, before any verification, was not only troubling, but also generated confusion, heightened fear, and unfairly questioned the credibility of eyewitnesses who raised the alarm.
CAN, in a statement, called for responsibility and caution in security communication after reviewing a subsequent press statement by the Nigeria Police confirming the abduction of the 170 worshippers.
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The association said it recognised the challenges in verifying security incidents, especially in remote communities. But it said such challenges must not be used as excuses for misinforming the public, particularly, when threats to human life were involved.
In the statement by its National President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the Christian body cautioned that in situations of that gravity, public communication must not appear dismissive of the suffering or fears of affected citizens.
CAN stated: “While the need to prevent panic is understandable, caution must not be communicated in ways that suggest denial or indifference.
“Statements made by senior security officials carry significant weight and should, therefore, be guided by due diligence, empathy, and a clear understanding of their impact on public trust and social stability.”
While making an appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of the abductees, Okoh said CAN had noted the subsequent police confirmation of the incident. He commended Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for directing the deployment of operational and intelligence assets to the affected area.
According to Okoh, “these steps are necessary and welcome. However, they must be accompanied by a more disciplined, people-focused approach to crisis communication going forward.
“We call on all security agencies and relevant authorities to strengthen coordination, improve verification processes, and ensure that credible reports from communities are treated with the seriousness they deserve.
“Victims must be protected, genuine distress calls respected, and misinformation, whether dismissive or sensational, avoided.
“CAN also urges governments at all levels to confront the persistent insecurity across the country with renewed urgency, as repeated incidents continue to endanger lives, disrupt worship, and erode public confidence.”
Meanwhile, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State had visited Kurmin Wali, and assured that his administration, in collaboration with security agencies, would ensure the safe return of all the people abducted on January 18 during church services in Kurmin Wali community.
Painfully, beyond the statistics and statements lie human stories of anguish: parents roaming police stations with photographs of missing children, churches turned into counselling centres, and communities sleeping with one eye open. Yet, amid the pain, residents quietly express a bitter hope, that, like Tudun Biri and Kuriga, Kurmin Wali’s suffering might finally compel government action to bring infrastructural development to the area.
However, yhe National President of Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU), Samuel Tabara Kato has praised Uba Sani for ordering establishment of social amenities in Kurmin Wali following the unfortunate incident.
“On behalf of the Southern Kaduna People, I hereby commend efforts of the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani for taking his time to visit Kurmin Wali in Kajuru Local Government Area, to commiserate with the community which was attacked by bandits, on Sunday 18th January, 2026.
“It is worthy of note that Gov. Uba Sani is the first governor ever to visit the community and there and then issued directive to the commissioner of works to prompt him on issue of the road. He profoundly declared that hospital, security presence and other infrastructural amenities shall be provided to the community with dispatch,” Kato informed.
Many believe that the sudden attention could translate into better roads, telecom services, permanent security presence. “We don’t want development to come through blood,” a community member lamented, “but if this tragedy is what will make the government remember us, then the irony is too painful to ignore.”
As Kaduna grapples with recurring insecurity, a troubling pattern is emerging: remote communities only become visible after catastrophe strikes. For Tudun Biri, Kuriga and now Kurmin Wali, banditry has become an unwanted bridge to the world, one paved with grief, but shadowed by the possibility of long-denied development.
