Police in Kaduna State have officially confirmed that armed gangs abducted dozens of churchgoers in Kurmin Wali, a rural community in Kajuru LGA, on Sunday.
The Nigeria Police Force initially treated the reports with caution. Kaduna’s Commissioner Mohammed Rabiu even called the kidnapping claim “falsehood” spread by “conflict entrepreneurs.” But, field units and intelligence sources later verified that the attack did occur.
Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun has taken decisive action. He ordered tactical strike teams into the area. Intelligence assets were also deployed. Patrols are intensified. Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing to recover the victims.
Local authorities and church leaders have appealed for calm, urging reliance on official communications as rescue efforts continue.
This Kaduna incident fits a pattern of increasingly brazen attacks on Nigeria’s Christian minority. Last month gunmen abducted over 300 students from a Catholic school in Niger State, and even routine worship has been targeted by armed militants.
In Plateau State (centre Nigeria), villagers recently buried 27 Christians killed in a single raid, telling reporters that their attackers declared “we will destroy all Christians”.
Henrietta Blyth of Open Doors UK warned about the figures. They “leave us in no doubt: there is a clear religious element to this horrific violence”.
Church leaders now say assaults on congregation gatherings are incredibly severe. These are especially bad around Christmas and Easter. In some communities, they “assumed genocidal character.”
Open Doors found that Nigeria was responsible for 72% of all Christians murdered worldwide for their faith in one recent year. This was 3,490 out of a total of 4,849.
Conflict monitors (ACLED) report that attacks specifically targeting Christians in Nigeria rose ~21% in 2021 versus 2020. There was also a broader 28% jump in civilian-targeted violence.
Boko Haram and ISWAP’s jihadist insurgency since 2009 has killed tens of thousands. It has driven over 2 million Nigerians from their homes.
A UN-backed update notes over 7.8 million Nigerians (about 80% women and children) now need urgent humanitarian aid because of the country’s security crisis.
Taken together, these trends make Nigeria one of the deadliest places for Christians on earth. Christian advocacy groups point out that more Nigerian Christians are killed or kidnapped each year than in any other country.
For example, in 2025, northwest Kaduna alone saw 1,116 Christians abducted. This number is far higher than the 101 Muslims kidnapped in the same region.
International bodies are taking note: this year the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern.” This is due to systematic and ongoing religious freedom violations. These violations occur at the hands of Boko Haram, ISWAP, and heavily armed herder militias.
Government Response and Broader Context
Nigerian officials insist the violence is criminal banditry rather than a sectarian campaign. Kaduna police have appealed for media restraint and asked citizens to await confirmed facts.
Governor Uba Sani convened an emergency security council in Kaduna. The Police Commissioner warned that premature reports risked stoking panic. Nevertheless, many observers are unconvinced by the denials.
The Inspector-General issued a deployment order. It sent mobile police, intelligence units, and air support into Kajuru and nearby LGAs. This action acknowledges the gravity of the attack.
Christian community leaders argue the response must go beyond emergency rescues. They want recognition that these assaults often occur along ethnic-religious faultlines. They also urge the government to treat them as terrorism.
As one analyst noted, if civilians are under “increasing siege by multiple armed non-state actors,” it reflects not just common crime. It also indicates a pattern of religiously tinged violence.
The insecurity is also taking an economic toll. Armed gangs now occupy farmland in several northern states, forcing farmers to abandon crops and raising food prices.
Industries and shops near conflict areas often shut down or relocate, shrinking domestic capital formation and employment. Academic studies confirm that violent instability has slowed Nigeria’s economic growth. Higher insecurity correlates with rising unemployment. It also leads to falling foreign investment.
Put simply, businesses and jobs suffer wherever terrorists roam unchecked. Economists warn that unless security improves, investor confidence will remain low and Nigerians will struggle to recover livelihoods.
In short, the Kajuru church abduction has become another grim data point in Nigeria’s spiralling crisis of violence. International and religious groups are calling on Abuja to move beyond rhetoric.
They urge a comprehensive strategy combining forceful counter-terror operations with community engagement, because, as humanitarians stress, “these people don’t have a faith; they have a price tag” – yet their stated aim is to “destroy all Christians”.
Authorities say arrests will be made. Any “conflict entrepreneurs” will be punished. Many Nigerians feel it is time to confront whether these attacks amount to religious genocide.
Meanwhile, church volunteers and state officials are mobilising relief for displaced victims and lobbying for sustained international support.
If the current trend continues, Nigeria’s status as the epicentre of anti-Christian violence will only worsen. Experts say a full, honest appraisal of the sectarian dimension is needed to halt the cycle.
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