Human Rights Group Insists That Over 100 Churchgoers lives Were Taken in Kaduna State Attack Despite Official Denials

 

A rights advocacy group has rejected claims by security agencies and local officials that no one was abducted during reported attacks on churches in a Kaduna community, insisting that a large number of worshippers were taken away by armed men. Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria said its findings showed that more than 100 people were seized when gunmen struck three churches in Kurmin Wali, a community in Kajuru Local Government Area, on Sunday. The group stated that the attackers stormed the churches while services were ongoing and forced many worshippers into surrounding bush paths.

Authorities in the state have, however, dismissed the account. The Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, Mohammed Rabiu, alongside the chairman of Kajuru Local Government, Dauda Madaki, described the reports as untrue. Speaking at a briefing in Kaduna on Monday, both officials challenged those making the claims to provide verifiable details of the supposed victims.

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Madaki said he personally visited Kurmin Wali with security personnel after hearing about the alleged incident but found no trace of an attack. He added that the churches named showed no signs of disturbance and that traditional leaders and youth representatives in the area also denied that any abduction took place.

In response, CSW Nigeria stood by its position in a statement released on Tuesday by its research and press officer, Reuben Buhari. The organisation claimed that its attempt to independently confirm the situation on the ground was blocked by security forces. According to the group, its team was stopped by soldiers and denied access to Kurmin Wali despite presenting proper identification. The team was said to have been delayed for about an hour before reaching a nearby village and attempting to approach Kurmin Wali through a less travelled route.

The statement alleged that as the team neared the community, it encountered a military convoy leaving the area, which included the local government chairman. CSW Nigeria said the soldiers then refused to allow its team to proceed, citing orders not to grant entry, and escorted them back toward the main road to Kaduna.

The organisation further said information gathered from community contacts indicated that the attackers arrived on motorcycles and on foot, split into groups, and struck the churches at the same time. It claimed that some elderly women and young children were later released, while a small number of people managed to escape on their own.

CSW Nigeria said its sources suggested that as many as 167 people were still being held at the time it made contact with residents, adding that efforts were underway to compile a full list of those taken. The group described the reported incident as alarming and accused both the state and federal governments of not doing enough to secure rural communities that continue to face repeated attacks.