Early in the morning of Tuesday, 28 October 2025, heavily armed bandits attacked the rural community of Farin Dutse in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The assailants invaded the village, opened fire indiscriminately and began taking captives.
During the raid, a clergyman, Reverend Yahaya Kambasiya, of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN, popularly called HEKAN) was shot and killed. According to the church statement, he had hidden in a farm after the initial gunfire subsided and stepped out believing the danger had passed, only to be shot in the back.
The attackers also abducted more than 20 residents, many of them members of the HEKAN church, according to church leadership.
The church president, Dr Amos Kiri, described the attack as “callous, inhumane, and wicked,” and warned that this was not an isolated incident — HEKAN reported earlier kidnappings in the same region.
In a separate development, U.S. lawmaker Riley M. Moore (U.S. Representative, West Virginia) has pressed the U.S. government to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act, citing what he describes as systematic persecution of Christians in that country. Vanguard News+2saharareporters.com+2
Moore’s letter (dated 6 October 2025) addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that Nigeria has become “the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian,” pointing to data that over 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2025 alone (an average of about 35 per day) and that more than 19,100 churches have been attacked or destroyed since 2009.
He accused terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and other bandit or militant networks of actively targeting Christian communities — and claimed that “corrupt cells” within the Nigerian government may be complicit.
Moore urged that arms sales and technical support from the U.S. to Nigeria be suspended until the government demonstrates concrete protection of its Christian minority.
In response, the Nigerian federal government rejected the designation and the underlying claim of genocide, with spokespersons arguing that the violence is not directed solely at Christians.
Meanwhile, HEKAN is calling for urgent security action. The church has formally notified the local police and security agencies in Kauru, and urged the return of abducted members and rescue operations. They also asked for prayers and support for grieving families.
The attack in Farin Dutse is one of several recent incidents in the region. HEKAN noted that on 19 October 2025, four members of its Kakude Local Church branch were kidnapped, and in December 2024 around 50 people were abducted (including a HEKAN pastor, Reverend Francis Lawal) — one of whom died in captivity.
Overall, church leaders say Christians in Nigeria increasingly live in fear and need protection now. The international dimension (including the U.S. lawmaker’s call) underscores the growing global attention on the security situation for religious minorities in Nigeria.
