Names of 177 worshippers kidnapped from three churches in Kurmin Wali, a remote community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have been released.
The victims were abducted on Sunday from ECWA Church and Cherubim and Seraphim Churches 1 and 2 during worship services.
Initially, the Kaduna State Government and security agencies denied the abduction, dismissing those who raised alarms as “conflict merchants” instead of immediately deploying forces to rescue the victims.
A report from a nearby police station later confirmed the attack. According to Vanguard, the incident was reported around 5:45pm, with the assailants striking at about 11:25am. The attackers fired sporadically, forcing worshippers to flee into the surrounding forest.
The situation report stated:
“Message received from DPO Kajuru indicates that on 18/01/2026 at about 1745hrs, information was received that same date at about 1125hrs, unspecified numbers of bandits armed with sophisticated weapons attacked ECWA Church and Cherubim Serafim Church 2 at Kurmin Wali in Kajuru LGA. The communities are yet to ascertain the number of worshippers kidnapped to an unknown destination. The village is situated in a remote forest area. The DPO mobilized other sister security agencies and the military to the scene, which cannot be accessed immediately due to bad road conditions. Concerted efforts in collaboration with all stakeholders have been intensified to rescue the victims and possibly arrest the perpetrators. Investigation has commenced.”
Analysis of the names shows that entire households were targeted. The Jonathan family had 12 members abducted, the Amos family 13, Markus/Makudi 10, and Ishaya and Danisa seven each. Other families, including Bawa, lost six members, while Danjuma and Musa had five each. Several families lost between two and four members.
The oldest victim is 71-year-old Augustina Matthew, while the youngest is six-year-old Salvation Idris.
