How gunmen kidnapped scores in three Kaduna Churches

From Sola Ojo, Abuja

At least 168 worshippers were kidnapped during church services in Kurmin Wali village, Afogo Ward of Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, on Sunday, January 18, 2026.

Although there were conflicting figures on the development; some claimed 168, some said 170 while some said 172, more details are expected in days ahead.

This was coming barely a week after the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the North, Rev John Joseph 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.

The mass abduction 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.

Sources confirmed that nine of the victims managed to escape from their abductors, while 168 others are still being held in captivity as of the time of filing this report.

“These guys came in a commando manner, laid siege on the three churches in the community, shut the doors and filed out worshipers into the forest.

“The amazing thing is that, the people were taking towards the same forest which we have reported to the security agents several times,” one of th 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.

Efforts to get official confirmation from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, did not respond to repeated calls.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kajuru Local Government Area, Rev. Enoch Kaura, confirmed the incident, alongside other community and church sources.

A top social leader in the State who spoke in confidence said he has reached out to the security echelons in the country to nip the situation in the bud before the abductors go too far.

However, 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.