Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area of southern Kaduna has been thrown into panic following the abduction of 177 Christian worshippers by gunmen, marking the second major attack on the community within one week.
The coordinated attack, which occurred on Sunday, January 18, 2026, saw armed men storm three churches during worship and cart away over 100 worshippers. By Monday, conflicting official accounts had emerged, with the Kaduna State Government, the police command and the Kajuru LGA chairman initially dismissing the reports as false.
However, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the abductions late Tuesday via X, clarifying that earlier comments by the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Rabiu, were “not denials of the incident but a measured response pending confirmation of details from the field, including the identities and number of those affected.”
Findings by The PUNCH on Wednesday revealed that residents had abandoned their homes, farms were left unattended, and schools shut indefinitely as fear gripped the area.
A villager, Linus Abu, said the community was yet to recover from an earlier attack on January 11, when suspected armed Fulani militia kidnapped several residents.
“We paid N23m as ransom before those kidnapped on January 11 were released,” Abu told The PUNCH.
“The terrorists called us on the phone and gave instructions. Some of our people had to carry the money in sacks and take it to them inside the bush.”
Bandits demand motorcycles, not ransom – villagers
Although 11 of the 177 abducted villagers reportedly escaped, 166 victims – including women and children – remain in captivity.
Unlike the earlier incident, the abductors have yet to demand a formal ransom. Instead, they reportedly insisted that 17 motorcycles allegedly lost during recent military operations must be returned before negotiations could proceed.
“They said each bike is worth N1.7m, and we must pay for all of them before they will demand the actual ransom for the hostages,” Abu said.
This, he explained, would force the villagers to pay about N28.9m for the motorcycles alone, separate from any ransom.
Village head confirms contact with bandits
The village head of Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Dan’azumi, confirmed that the bandits had contacted a negotiator acting on behalf of the community.
“They called the negotiator and said that 17 of their motorcycles disappeared. They insisted that all the motorcycles must be returned before they will release our people,” Dan’azumi said.
He added that the armed men accused members of the community of stealing the motorcycles and tampering with others by removing carburettors and spark plugs.
“Apart from the issue of the motorcycles and replacement of some parts, they have not asked for money,” he stated.
Dan’azumi also linked the attack to ongoing military operations against bandit camps in parts of Kajuru Local Government Area.
‘No school, no farm, everyone is scared’
Fear has since paralysed daily life in Kurmin Wali, forcing many residents to flee to neighbouring villages.
“There is no going to school, no going to farm. Most of us have run away. We cannot stay here anymore,” a farmer, Hasan Emman, said.
“Right now, everyone is unsettled. We don’t even know where to start. How can we negotiate when we are all scattered and afraid?”
During The PUNCH’s visit, the once-busy village market was deserted, with shops locked and residents appearing anxious and unwilling to speak.
Relatives of the abducted worshippers expressed frustration over what they described as government denial and lack of urgent security intervention.
“Our people are suffering in the forest, and the government is saying nothing happened,” one distraught resident said.
“Who will help us?”
Church officials and survivors disclosed that the attacks began around 9am on Sunday when armed men wielding AK-47 rifles simultaneously invaded multiple churches.
The Secretary of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Kurmin Wali, Yunana Dauji, said the assailants surrounded two branches of the church and threatened worshippers.
“They forced worshippers to march from one church to another, gathering over 50 people from our denomination alone before leading everyone away,” Dauji said.
The Evangelical Church Winning All was also attacked. Its secretary, Joseph Bawa, said the gunmen stormed the church shouting and immediately began seizing worshippers.
“They gathered people from different churches and marched all of us together into the forest,” Bawa said.
Among those abducted was the village head himself. His son, Linus Madami, confirmed that Dan’azumi later escaped alongside 10 others.
“My father managed to escape, but his two wives and two children are still with the kidnappers,” Madami said.
“In total, 177 people were taken that morning. I narrowly escaped after struggling with one of the gunmen.”
Some captives escaped during the trek through the forest after the kidnappers ordered them to cross a shallow river.
“Once the kidnappers crossed, those who slowed down ran back towards the village because the attackers could not cross back quickly,” Bawa explained.
Military links attack to fleeing bandits
Multiple military sources confirmed to The PUNCH that the attackers were bandits fleeing sustained military operations in neighbouring Kauru Local Government Area.
According to the sources, troops had recently dislodged armed groups from camps around Gabachua, Legede and the Agwalla mountain and forest corridors, forcing them to scatter into nearby areas, including Kajuru.
“The abduction was allegedly aimed at compensating for logistics losses and instilling fear as they fled the area,” one source said.
Troops were said to be on full alert, with exploitation and hot pursuit operations ongoing across forest corridors around the Karamai and Rijana axis.
Meanwhile, the Commandant of the 2 National Mission Force Brigade, Samaru Kataf, Navy Captain I.T. Akaazua, disclosed that troops had rescued three kidnapped victims, including a child, and destroyed several terrorist camps in Kauru LGA.
“Apart from a previous operation where about 70 terrorists were neutralised, another operation carried out on Tuesday led to the rescue of three victims, including a child,” Akaazua said.
He noted that operations were hampered by dense forests and difficult terrain, adding that some camps deep inside thick forest areas could not be accessed.
“Security personnel cannot be everywhere,” he said, urging residents to strengthen local vigilante groups and provide timely intelligence.
Akaazua also called on governments to prioritise road construction to improve access to remote communities, stressing that poor infrastructure continues to hamper security operations.