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•FG silence over Kaduna abduction of worshippers painful, dangerous –PDP
From Ndubuisi Orji and Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has registered its discontent with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over the way it handled the communication aspect of last weekend’s abduction of over 170 worshippers in Kaduna Church.
CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, in a statement, yesterday, said the initial public dismissal of the reports about the incident before thorough verification was deeply troubling.
“It generated confusion, heightened fear, and unfairly questioned the credibility of nearly 170 worshippers, their families, clergy, and eyewitnesses who raised the alarm.
“In situations of this gravity, public communication must not appear dismissive of the suffering or fears of affected citizens. Nevertheless, CAN reviewed the press statement issued by the Police confirming the abduction incident at Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, and recognises that verifying security incidents, especially in remote communities, can be challenging.
“However, these challenges do not excuse lapses in how sensitive matters are communicated to the public, particularly when reports involve mass abductions and threats to human life. 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.”
CAN President, however, commended the Inspector-General of Police for subsequent confirmation of the incident, and directing the deployment of operational and intelligence assets to the affected area.
He called 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. “Additionally, victims must be protected, genuine distress calls respected, and misinformation, whether dismissive or sensational, avoided.”
The CAN President also urged 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.
He assured that as a national faith-based body, CAN remains committed to peace, justice, and the defence of human dignity, and will continue to stand with affected communities and engage constructively with authorities in the collective pursuit of safety, accountability, and lasting security.
He also made a heartfelt appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of all those abducted, and prayed that they are returned safely and unharmed.
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He urged security agencies to intensify all efforts, operational, intelligence, and diplomatic, towards securing their swift rescue, insisting that the lives of innocent citizens must remain paramount.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the alleged silence of the Federal Government on the abduction as a dangerous pattern in the “normalisation of insecurity” by the administration.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, also noted that the denial by the Kaduna Police Command and the Kajuru Local Government that the incident did not happen was a deliberate attempt by the authorities to hide the truth from Nigerians.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had raised alarm about the kidnap of worshipers by gunmen during a Church service, in Kajuru, last Sunday.
However, Kaduna State Police Command dismissed the report as untrue. Nonetheless, the Police Headquarters, on Tuesday, confirmed the abduction.
The PDP noted that with the admission by the police that the kidnapping actually took place, the Federal Government ought to have immediately deployed a security team to rescue the victims.
The opposition party also demanded that the Kaduna state police commissioner and the Kajuru Local Government chairman tender a public apology for their initial denial and failure to act.
The statement read in part: “When news of this mass abduction first emerged, the Commissioner of Police Muhammad Rabiu did not just deny that it happened, he recklessly dismissed it as the work of mischief makers, peddled by ‘conflict entrepreneurs’. He then had the audacity to demand details of victims. The Kajuru Local Government Chairman similarly denied that any kidnap incident occurred within his jurisdiction.
“These denials are deeply hurtful, not only because they are evidently false, but because they reveal the manifest levity with which this administration treats serious matters like security. What makes this even more painful is that, according to the villagers, the police were immediately alerted when the kidnapping occurred.
“They had the opportunity to act. Instead, they chose denial, prioritising the government’s image over the lives of 163 Nigerians.
“Sadly, since the police eventually accepted the reality of the sad incident, after the residents and the Christian Association of Nigeria provided the names of those kidnapped, the Commissioner of Police and Chairman have been silent, without offering any apologies for their irresponsible conduct and failure to protect the people.
“This act of public betrayal and failed cover-up is most shameful and condemnable.Once again, we urge this administration to abandon performative governance that prioritizes optics over substance. The business of government is solving problems, not winning applause. One hundred and sixty-three families are waiting. They deserve action, not excuses.”
