(KTH AI Graphics)
…CAN: 163 Persons Abducted from Church Sunday
…LG, Police: It’s not True, Show Us Evidence!
By Abu Adamu
It was vintage Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and his blockbuster “Confusion Break Bone” in Kaduna yesterday as the state descended into confusion over conflicting accounts that scores of Christian worshippers were abducted by bandits from three different churches on Sunday.
While the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) insisted that the incident occurred, the police and local government authorities flatly denied it.
Earlier reports had quoted police sources as confirming that more than 100 worshippers were abducted on Sunday from three churches in Kurmin Wali, a forest community in Afogo ward of Kajuru Local Government Area. According to those accounts, gunmen armed with sophisticated weapons reportedly stormed the churches around 11:25 a.m. during worship services and carted away an unspecified number of congregants.
A police source was earlier quoted as saying the area was remote and difficult to access due to poor road networks, making it challenging for security operatives to immediately verify the scale of the incident or the number of persons allegedly abducted.
Fueling the reports, the Chairman of CAN in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rev. Joseph John Hayab, confirmed what he described as the abduction of no fewer than 163 worshippers by suspected terrorists in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru LGA of Kaduna State.
Hayab, who spoke to journalists on Monday evening, said the worshippers were seized during Sunday services at Cherubim and Seraphim Church 1 and Cherubim and Seraphim Church 2 in the community. He explained that the attackers reportedly invaded the churches while services were ongoing, locked the gates and forcefully marched congregants into the surrounding bush.
According to the CAN chairman, he received a distress call from the association’s chairman in the affected area, who narrated how the assailants carried out the operation. Hayab added that eight of the abducted worshippers later managed to escape, but as of Monday, 163 persons were still allegedly being held by the attackers.
“Security officers are already on top of the matter. We commend their efforts and urge them to do everything possible to rescue our brothers and sisters safely and unhurt in good time,” Hayab said.
The reported incident once again drew attention to lingering security challenges in parts of Southern Kaduna, where communities have endured repeated attacks by armed groups despite sustained military and security operations.
As of the time of filing this report, no formal statement had been issued by the Kaduna State Government, the police or the military authorities, as investigations and possible rescue efforts were said to be ongoing.
However, the narrative took a dramatic turn later in the day when the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu, dismissed the reports of a mass abduction in Kajuru Local Government Area as outrightly false, describing them as fabrications by what he termed “conflict entrepreneurs” seeking to disrupt peace in the state.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting of the State Security Council at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Rabiu challenged those making the claims to produce the names and details of any alleged victims.
“The story is a mere falsehood. Anyone who claims that people were kidnapped should come forward with names and particulars,” the police commissioner said, warning that purveyors of false information would be dealt with according to the law.
Corroborating the police position, the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area, Mr. Dauda Madaki, said security agencies swiftly moved to Kurmin Wali following the reports but found no evidence of any attack.
“When I heard the rumour, I mobilised the police and other security forces to Kurmin Wali. We visited the church where the so-called kidnap was said to have occurred and found no trace of any incident,” Madaki said.
He added that the village head, Mai Dan Zaria, and the community’s youth leader, Bernard Bona, both confirmed to him that no such attack took place. Madaki said repeated demands for a list of the alleged abducted persons had yielded nothing.
“I have asked those making the claim to provide a list of the kidnapped persons. Till now, no one has come forward with a single name,” the council chairman said, alleging that the rumour was sponsored by individuals uncomfortable with the prevailing peace in Kajuru.
Madaki urged residents to remain calm and continue their lawful activities, while advising them to report suspicious movements and rumour mongers to security agencies.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Sule Shuaibu (SAN), said investigations, including engagements with CAN leadership and other religious stakeholders, showed that the reports circulating in the public space were unfounded.
“What was circulated was completely false,” Shuaibu said, reaffirming the Kaduna State Government’s zero tolerance for criminality, even as uncertainty continued to trail the alleged abduction.