Bandits abducted more than 100 worshippers in a brazen Sunday attack on churches in Kaduna State’s Kurmin Wali area of Kajuru Local Government.
The bandits stormed multiple churches mid-service, overpowered congregants, and forcibly took them into the bush.
A source with family members among the victims confirmed the mass abduction, describing the attackers as heavily armed bandits who struck without warning.
Local accounts indicate the raiders targeted worshippers gathered for Sunday services, hauling away dozens from each location.
Families now scramble to confirm missing relatives, while the exact total remains fluid as communities compile lists.
No group has claimed responsibility, and authorities have yet to release an official casualty or victim count.
This latest assault intensifies Nigeria’s ongoing banditry crisis in the northwest and north-central regions.
Kaduna has endured repeated kidnappings for ransom, farm invasions, and attacks on religious sites in recent years.
Security forces occasionally rescue victims or arrest suspects, as seen in mid-January when the Department of State Services freed two pastors and a church member abducted earlier this month.
Residents and observers express mounting outrage over persistent security lapses.
Many criticize federal and state responses as inadequate, pointing to ethnic and religious dimensions that fuel tensions in the region.
No ransom demands have surfaced publicly so far, but past incidents suggest negotiations often follow such large-scale abductions.
Community leaders urge swift military deployment to track the kidnappers and secure the release of captives.
As night falls in Kajuru, desperate families await news while the attack adds another grim chapter to northern Nigeria’s insecurity saga.
