Overview
- A state legislator said 177 worshippers were initially unaccounted for and 11 later returned, leaving 168 still missing.
- Armed men struck around 11:25 a.m. during services at three churches in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru district: an ECWA church, a Cherubim and Seraphim church, and a Catholic parish.
- Kaduna police reported the attackers used sophisticated weapons and described the area as difficult to reach due to poor roads and terrain.
- Security forces have deployed to locate the abductees, no group has claimed responsibility, and authorities have not released a definitive casualty tally.
- The incident fits a pattern of raids on remote communities in northern Nigeria that has drawn international scrutiny, with President Donald Trump alleging persecution of Christians and Nigeria rejecting genocide claims; the U.S. also conducted Dec. 25 strikes in Sokoto against an ISIS-linked group.