Nigerian police have admitted that armed bandits abducted dozens of villagers in Kurmin Wali, Kaduna State, after earlier denials. National spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin said security operations are underway to locate and rescue victims, though no official casualty figure was released. Local sources report between 168 and 172 people were taken, with nine escaping; the captors have reportedly demanded the return of 10 motorcycles. The raid underscores a wider pattern of mass kidnappings across northern and central Nigeria.
Kaduna Police Confirm Mass Abduction After Initial Denials — Dozens Taken in Kurmin Wali
Nigerian police have acknowledged that armed bandits kidnapped dozens of villagers in Kurmin Wali, Kaduna State, over the weekend after initially downplaying or denying the incident.
In a statement issued late on Tuesday, National Police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin said an "abduction" occurred on Sunday and that police have launched security operations "with a clear focus on locating and safely rescuing the victims and restoring calm to the area." Hundeyin added that earlier denials by some officers and officials were intended to prevent "unnecessary panic while facts were being confirmed." The statement did not provide an official toll.
Local accounts give differing totals. Kaduna state lawmaker Usman Danlami Stingo told The Associated Press that about 168 people were unaccounted for. The head of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the north, Reverend John Hayab, told Reuters that at least 172 worshippers were abducted from three churches; nine later escaped, leaving 163 still missing according to his figures.
Al Jazeera reporter Ahmed Idris, at the scene in Kurmin Wali, said dozens of gunmen stormed the village while people were gathered to pray in three churches and abducted roughly a quarter of the community. Two days after the raid, residents received demands from the captors: the bandits demanded the return of 10 motorcycles they claimed to have hidden in nearby bush as the condition for releasing the captives. Villagers said they did not know where the motorcycles were and that repeated raids had left many families extremely impoverished.
“Security operations are ongoing with a focus on locating and safely rescuing the victims,” the police statement said.
Mass abductions by gangs—commonly called "bandits" in Nigeria—have risen in recent years, particularly across the northern and central regions. In November, armed gangs seized more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic school in Niger State; about 50 escaped and the remainder were released in two batches weeks later.
Nigeria, roughly split between a mostly Christian south and a Muslim-majority north, faces multiple, overlapping conflicts that affect communities across religious lines. The violence has drawn international attention: the article notes that U.S. President Donald Trump has emphasized attacks on Christians in Nigeria and applied diplomatic pressure on Abuja, and that in late December the United States carried out strikes on sites it and Nigeria described as armed-group positions in Sokoto State with Nigeria's approval.
Authorities continue to investigate and pursue the captors while urging calm. Local leaders and families of the missing have called for swift, coordinated action to free the hostages and to improve security in vulnerable rural communities.
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