Armed groups believed to be Fulani militias attacked three Christian worship services in Nigeria’s Kaduna state on Sunday, an incident local Christian leaders say may represent one of the largest mass kidnappings of believers in the region, though state authorities have denied that any abductions occurred.
Initial estimates of the number taken ranged widely, from about 100 to as many as 177 people, with the uncertainty compounded by official denials from security officials. Sources said the coordinated attacks took place in Kurmin Wali village, located in Kajuru County in southern Kaduna.
Usman Danlami Stingo, who represents the area in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, told the Associated Press that 177 people were kidnapped and 11 later escaped. By contrast, Felix Bagudu, who represents the Kajuru/Chikun Federal Constituency in Nigeria’s House of Representatives, told Truth Nigeria after a briefing with local officials that he doubted the number of abductees exceeded 100.
The Rev. Joseph John Hayab, chairman of the Northern Nigeria chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, told reporters Monday that 172 Christians were seized from three churches, adding that nine later managed to escape.
Hayab said church leaders from the affected area contacted him in distress, reporting that “the terrorists invaded the churches while worship services were on. They held the worshippers hostage and marched them out into the bushes.”
The abductions were reported to have occurred in Kurmin Wali’s Afago ward, about eight miles south of the town of Maro. Survivors told Truth Nigeria that west of Maro are camps believed to be holding hundreds of captives.
Eyewitnesses described the attackers as armed Fulani ethnic militia, according to Truth Nigeria, a media outlet operated by the U.S.-based missions group Equipping the Persecuted.
One member of the Evangelical Church Winning All who escaped the assault told Truth Nigeria that the gunmen arrived at about 10 a.m., firing their weapons, ordering worshippers to lie on the ground, and then forcing them to march away.
The survivor said some of the assailants wore black robes and head turbans, while others were dressed in “shabby-looking Nigerian Army camouflage uniforms.” He added that he and his 10-year-old son escaped through a window as the attackers were driving congregants out of the building.
The Rev. Gideon Para-Malam of Kaduna state said the coordinated raids targeted a Catholic church, an ECWA congregation, and a Pentecostal church affiliated with Cherubim-Seraphim.
“Large numbers of Muslim Fulani militias surrounded three Christian congregations simultaneously,” Para-Malam told Christian Daily International–Morning Star News, adding that only elderly worshippers and those with physical disabilities were spared.
Kaduna state police, however, rejected the kidnapping claims outright. State Police Commissioner Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu said Monday that authorities had received no reports of such an incident.
“The story is a mere falsehood,” Rabiu told journalists. “Anyone who claims people were kidnapped should come forward with names and particulars.”
The Nigerian branch of Christian Solidarity Worldwide provided The New York Times with a preliminary list of names of those allegedly abducted, saying it planned to release the information publicly after notifying family members.
According to The Times, when CSW representatives and others attempted to travel to Kurmin Wali to investigate, they were turned back after military and local government vehicles blocked the road. CSW Nigeria spokesman Reuben Buhari said team members later reached church members by phone, who described gunmen rounding up worshippers and forcing them into nearby bushland.
Buhari told The Times that the attackers later released older women and young children and that 11 additional people managed to escape. Despite this, the newspaper reported that local officials later emerged from a meeting at Kaduna state government offices and told journalists the kidnapping reports were unfounded.
“The officials dismissed the reports of kidnappings as fear-mongering,” The Times reported.
The Associated Press, however, quoted Kurmin Wali village head Ishaku Dan’azumi as disputing the official denials. “I am one of the people who escaped from the bandits. We all saw it happen, and anyone who says it didn’t happen is lying,” he said.
Another local advocacy group, the Chikun/Kajuru Active Citizens Congress, published what it said was a list of hostages, according to the AP, though the outlet noted it could not independently verify the information and that police did not respond to requests for comment.
