Nigeria’s police have confirmed that scores of worshippers were abducted from three churches in a remote area of Kaduna state, days after initially denying that any kidnapping had taken place.
The abductions occurred on Sunday during church services in Kurmin Wali village. Local residents told the BBC that 177 people were seized, although 11 later managed to escape. Police have not confirmed any figures.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin said operational units and intelligence sources had verified that an abduction occurred. He said security forces had been deployed to the area and that search-and-rescue operations were under way.
Hundeyin said an earlier police statement, which cast doubt on reports of the attack, had been “widely misinterpreted,” insisting it was not a denial but a response issued before details from the field were confirmed.
Witnesses described armed men surrounding the village around 10:00 local time, preventing worshippers from fleeing. “They gathered people together and forced them to march into the bush,” one resident said.
The attack affected three churches — two belonging to the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church and one affiliated with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA).
On Monday, Kaduna state police commissioner Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu had publicly dismissed reports of a mass kidnapping, saying security forces found no evidence of an abduction and challenging residents to provide names of victims.
The chairman of Kajuru local government area, Dauda Madaki, also said at the time that officials had visited the village and found no sign of an attack.
However, the BBC has since seen a list containing more than 160 names of alleged victims, though the list has not been independently verified.
Amnesty International criticised Nigerian authorities over what it described as a “desperate denial” of the kidnapping, urging immediate action to stem what it said were increasingly routine mass abductions.
The incident comes amid a surge in kidnappings across Nigeria. In November, more than 300 students and teachers were abducted from a Catholic school in neighbouring Niger state before being released in stages.
Nigeria faces multiple security crises, including kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs, an Islamist insurgency in the northeast, separatist violence in the southeast, and clashes between herders and farmers in central regions. Analysts say corruption, poor intelligence sharing and underfunded policing have undermined efforts to restore security.
The country’s defence minister resigned last month at the height of the kidnapping crisis, officially for health reasons.
The United States last month carried out airstrikes on Islamist militant camps in northwestern Nigeria, and President Donald Trump has warned of further action if Christians continue to be killed. Nigerian officials say victims of violence include both Christians and Muslims, and insist the government remains committed to protecting all citizens without discrimination.
If you want, I can tighten this further into a pure Reuters-style copy, or adapt it to Sudan Times tone with a sharper accountability angle.