Eighty Nigerians abducted during a mass kidnapping in the country’s northern Kaduna state have returned home weeks after escaping their captors, police have confirmed.
The group was among 177 worshippers seized last month when gunmen stormed three churches in the remote village of Kurmin Wali. According to police, the 80 victims managed to flee on the day of the attack but remained hidden in neighbouring villages for nearly two weeks, fearing they could be captured again.
State police spokesman Mansur Hassan said the escapees avoided contact with authorities immediately after fleeing, choosing instead to stay out of sight until they felt it was safe to return.
Security agencies say efforts are continuing to secure the release of the remaining 86 people still believed to be in captivity. No armed group has claimed responsibility for the abductions, which form part of a broader surge in kidnappings for ransom across several regions of Nigeria.
The incident initially went unacknowledged by authorities, who only confirmed the kidnappings days later after residents reported the scale of the attack to media. The delayed response drew sharp criticism from rights organisations, which accused officials of downplaying the crisis and failing to act decisively.
Rights groups have urged the government to take urgent and concrete measures to curb the growing wave of abductions, warning that kidnappings are becoming increasingly routine in many parts of the country.
The Kaduna attack follows a series of high profile abductions nationwide. In November, more than 300 students and teachers were taken from a Catholic school in neighbouring Niger state before being released in stages.
Nigeria continues to face multiple, overlapping security challenges beyond kidnappings, including Islamist insurgency in the north east, separatist violence in the south east, and recurring clashes between herders and farmers in central regions over land and water.
Security analysts say responses to these threats are undermined by corruption, weak intelligence coordination, and poorly funded local police forces. The deteriorating security situation has also drawn international attention, with foreign military actions and warnings underscoring growing concern over violence targeting civilians.
The government maintains that people of all faiths and communities have been affected by the unrest, stressing that the crisis is national rather than sectarian.