A coordinated attack by suspected armed bandits on multiple churches in the Kurmin Wali area of Kajuru Local Government Area has resulted in the abduction of scores of worshippers, local and international media reports confirm.
But public commentator, Rev. Polycarp Gbaja, has raised questions of how this could happen in minutes from a city that houses government security apparatuses.
His words: “Kajuru is 20 minutes from NNPC refinery entrance Kaduna, barely another 10 minutes to Ungwan Rimi GRA where Rimi College is beside. Kaduna State University campus and the residence of the Deputy Governor along Tafawa Balewa Way, inside Kaduna city. Just to understand how easily it can be reached by any security forces in the Kaduna metropolis.
“Yet yesterday, 18th January 2025 170 people were surrounded, selected, and abducted during church service(s) on a Sunday morning in broad daylight where almost everybody in the environment has a cell phone?! There is at least one Police post at Kajuru, to even radio HQ Kaduna, if they are completely unable to engage.
“Kaduna metropolis houses over 15 security agencies/bodies, including the HQ 1 Mechanized Division, Airforce Base with fighter jets & helicopters, and all branches of military & Police intel units. And there is a governor in the same Kaduna metropolis, with GOC, State Police Commissioner, et al? They should stop insulting our intelligence and sensibilities. This is deliberate wickedness.”
The assailants struck during Sunday morning services, targeting at least two to three churches, including Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Cherubim and Seraphim congregations, and a Catholic church. Eyewitnesses say the gunmen arrived in numbers, blocked church exits, fired shots into the air, and forced congregants into nearby forests.
According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the northern states, about 172 worshippers were initially seized and at least nine managed to escape during or shortly after the assault, leaving around 163 still in captivity.
A state lawmaker, representing the area, echoed similar figures, noting that of the 177 people originally reported missing, 11 returned, leaving roughly 168 unaccounted for as of Monday.
The attacks occurred in a remote, forested community, where poor road access has historically hampered rapid security response efforts. Authorities have not released an official confirmation on the total number of abductees, and police have yet to comment publicly on the incident.
This incident is part of a growing pattern of violent kidnappings and banditry in northwest Nigeria, where armed groups regularly target schools, villages, and places of worship for ransom and leverage.
Local residents say the scale of the abduction has plunged families into anguish and heightened fear across parts of Southern Kaduna, a region already beleaguered by decades of insecurity.
No armed group has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, and security agencies are reportedly tracking the kidnappers and pursuing rescue efforts.
In response, political actors and civil society have criticised what they describe as a failure of national security policy to protect civilians, particularly in vulnerable rural communities.
