Overview
- Multiple churches in Kurmin Wali in Kaduna state were raided during Sunday services, with reports ranging from roughly 163 to 177 people abducted.
- Reverend John Hayab of the Christian Association of Nigeria reported 172 taken with nine escaping, while state lawmaker Usman Danlami Stingo cited 177 missing with 11 returning.
- Kaduna police said the attackers used sophisticated weapons and confirmed deployments of officers, troops and other agencies to track the abductors and attempt rescues.
- Targets included congregations of the Evangelical Church Winning All, the Cherubim and Seraphim denomination and a local Catholic church, according to officials.
- No group has claimed responsibility, and authorities say the village’s remoteness and poor roads complicate verification and response as mass kidnappings by bandit gangs persist across northern Nigeria.