Armed groups kidnapped a large number of worshippers from at least two Nigerian churches during Sunday services, according to a Reuters report.
While Kaduna state police provided a cautious initial estimate on Monday, stating dozens were being held as the probe continues, a senior church official reported gunmen abducted over 160 worshippers over the weekend.
This Sunday’s event, which affected both Christians and Muslims, represents the most recent in a persistent series of mass abductions driven by religious conflict in Nigeria. Muslim Fulani militants regularly perpetrate violence in the country’s northern and central regions, aiming to impoverish Christian communities and extract ransom payments.
According to Reuters, Kaduna state police stated that assailants carrying “sophisticated weapons” struck two churches in Kurmin Wali village, Afogo ward, around 11:25 a.m. on Sunday.
Reverend John Hayab, chairman of the northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, informed Reuters:
“Information came to me from the elders of the churches that 172 worshipers were abducted while nine escaped,” Hayab said.
Initial tallies from security forces are typically conservative, whereas community and religious authorities often cite larger figures. Following mass kidnappings in Nigeria, casualty and abduction counts frequently differ significantly in the immediate aftermath.
Reuters reported that police said military and security personnel have been sent to the region, with operations ongoing to pursue the kidnappers and free those taken.
Nigeria has seen a sharp increase in large-scale assaults by armed bands, especially Islamist militants. These groups often base themselves in forest hideouts and raid villages, schools, and houses of worship.
The Open Doors World Watch List identified Nigeria as the global focal point for the killing of Christians in 2025. The report acknowledged that Muslims are also often attacked but stated Christians have been “disproportionately targeted,” with one in every five African Christians experiencing severe persecution.
In a previous incident, gunmen abducted 52 Catholic students and several staff members from St. Mary’s School in Nigeria last November, The Associated Press reported.
Separately, in April, the Evangelical Church Winning All, a major West African church, disclosed it paid a ransom equivalent to $205,000 to free approximately 50 members kidnapped in Kaduna, Nigerian lawyer Jabez Musa told Digital.
Digital’s Paul Tilsley, Rachel Wolf, Reuters and