Were over 100 Christians really abducted during Sunday service in Nigeria?
Police in Kaduna, a state in northern Nigeria, have dismissed claims that worshippers were kidnapped during church services on Sunday.
The clarification came in a joint statement with local government officials on Monday, January 19.
Kaduna state police commissioner, Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu, described the reports as “mere falsehood which is being peddled by conflict entrepreneurs who want to cause chaos.”
The initial reports alleged that over 100 people were kidnapped in coordinated attacks on three churches in Kurmin Wali and the Kajuru Local Government Area. Victims were said to include women and children, who were reportedly taken to an unknown location.
Rev. John Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states, confirmed the incident to local publication Vanguard. He said some people managed to escape while many others were still missing.
Similarly, a community leader from Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Dan'azumi Sarkin, also told the BBC that 177 people were kidnapped from three churches. He noted that 11 escaped, several were injured, and no deaths were recorded.
However, police commissioner Rabiu challenged the validity of the reports, saying, “Anyone [should] list the names of the kidnapped victims and other particulars.”
Dauda Madaki, chairman of Kajuru local government area, said security forces were sent to the area after the reports surfaced, but found no evidence of an attack. “I asked the village head, Mai Dan Zaria, and he said that there was no such attack,” Madaki said.
Police also referenced comments from the state’s commissioner for internal security and home affairs, who said religious leaders visited the area. “They found out that what was pushed out to the public sphere was completely false,” he reportedly said.
Mass kidnappings are not new to northern Nigeria. In November 2025, coordinated abductions led to the closure of several schools. During that month, over 300 students and 38 church members were kidnapped between the 17th and 23rd.
Amid the November abductions, Nigerian officials linked the rise in kidnappings to the United States threatening military action over alleged “mass killing of Christians”, saying it may have provoked retaliation from armed groups.
On Christmas Day, the U.S. carried out airstrikes on two Islamist militant camps in north-western Nigeria. Earlier in the month, U.S. President Donald Trump warned of more strikes if attacks on Christians continued.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
