Pastor and Bride Among 26 Abducted in Two Weekend Raids as Nigeria Faces Surge in Kidnappings

Armed attackers abducted 26 people in two separate overnight raids over the weekend, including a pastor and a bride, officials and local residents said. The incidents underline a recent spike in mass kidnappings that has strained security forces across parts of central and northwestern Nigeria.

In central Kogi State, a gang stormed a remote church in Ejiba on Sunday and seized a clergyman along with 11 worshippers, Kogi State information commissioner Kingsley Femi Fanwo said. Authorities dispatched police helicopters and ground teams in an air-and-ground operation to search for the abducted congregants.

Separately, in Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria, a bride, 10 bridesmaids and three other villagers — including a baby and the baby’s mother — were among 14 people taken from the village of Chacho during the night from Saturday into Sunday, local resident Aliyu Abdullahi reported. Abdullahi said the community had previously paid ransoms after an October attack that left 13 people abducted.

Fanwo said officials were still accounting for people after the church attack: "I just got confirmation that 12 people are missing, though they are still looking for some missing persons." He blamed the raid on criminal "bandits" and urged worshippers in isolated locations to avoid gatherings in crime-prone areas until security improves.

Wider context

The two recent raids come amid an escalation of abductions across the country, carried out by both organized criminal "bandit" gangs and jihadist groups. Mass kidnappings for ransom, village raids, looting and attacks on civilians have long plagued Nigeria — most notably when Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014 — but the pattern has widened geographically in recent years.

A Nigerian intelligence report seen by officials suggested that negotiated truces and deals struck in some neighboring areas may have allowed gangs to consolidate in hideouts and move into regions with less military pressure. Security analysts warn that when bandits encounter reduced enforcement in new areas, they may stage larger, more brazen kidnappings for ransom.

In response to the wave of attacks, President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide emergency and called for stepped-up security measures. The situation has also drawn international attention, with some foreign officials warning of greater involvement if attacks and sectarian claims escalate; Nigerian authorities reject claims that violence is targeted exclusively along religious lines, saying both Christians and Muslims have suffered.

Communities such as Chacho say they face repeated cycles of violence and ransom demands that deepen fear and displacement. Local leaders and residents have urged stronger protection for remote villages and places of worship while security forces continue rescue and recovery operations.