Gunmen have abducted at least 166 Christian worshippers from the Kurmin Wali community in southern Kaduna State , sparking panic and mass displacement after the second such attack in the area within a week, residents and officials said.
The attackers struck three churches on Sunday, seizing 177 worshippers, according to local accounts. Eleven of those abducted later escaped, leaving 166 — including women and children — still in captivity.
Initial reports of the abductions were disputed on Monday by the Kaduna state government, the police command and the chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area. However, Nigeria’s police headquarters confirmed the incident late Tuesday.
Police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin said on X that earlier remarks by the state’s police commissioner were not a denial but a response issued while details from the field were still being verified.
By Wednesday, residents had fled Kurmin Wali, abandoning homes and farms, while schools were shut indefinitely, according to witnesses.
Linus Abu, a resident, said the community was still recovering from a Jan. 11 attack in which suspected armed Fulani militia kidnapped several villagers. He said residents paid 23 million naira ($15,000) in ransom before those captives were released.
“The terrorists called us and gave instructions,” Abu said. “Some of our people had to carry the money in sacks and take it to them inside the bush.”
Unlike the earlier attack, the kidnappers have not formally demanded ransom for the 166 worshippers abducted on Sunday, residents said. Instead, they are demanding the return of 17 motorcycles they claim were lost during recent military operations.
Abu said the abductors told negotiators each motorcycle was worth 1.7 million naira, bringing the total demand to about 28.9 million naira ($19,000), which they described as a condition before ransom talks could begin.
The village head of Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Dan’zumi, said the kidnappers contacted a community negotiator and insisted the motorcycles be returned before the captives would be freed.
Southern Kaduna has long been plagued by armed attacks and kidnappings, often attributed to bandit groups operating in northwestern and north-central Nigeria, despite repeated security operations by the authorities.
