The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) stated yesterday that the initial public denial of reports regarding the kidnapping of 170 worshippers in the Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, by the Nigeria Police, prior to any verification, was not only concerning but also caused confusion, increased fear, and unfairly questioned the credibility of eyewitnesses who raised the alarm.
Last Sunday, gunmen assaulted three local churches at the same time, kidnapping 170 worshipers, some of whom managed to flee.
However, Muhammad Rabiu, the commissioner of police for Kaduna State, stated late on Monday that “there was no evidence of the attack” after police visited the community. Reports of the attack, according to Rabiu, are “ru-mours…sponsored by people who are not happy with the relative peace that Kajuru has been enjoying since the coming of this administration.”
After examining a later news release from the Nigeria Police confirming the kidnapping of the 170 worshippers, CAN issued a statement on Wednesday calling for accountability and caution in security communications.
Verifying security events can be difficult, particularly in isolated regions, according to the association. However, it stated that these difficulties should not be used as justifications for deceiving the public, especially when there are risks to human life.
Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the organization’s national president, stated that the Christian organization
advised that under such serious circumstances, public discourse should not come out as contemptuous of the pain or anxieties of impacted residents.
“While the need to prevent panic is understandable, caution must not be communicated in ways that suggest denial or indifference,” CAN said.
“Due diligence, empathy, and a clear understanding of their impact on public trust and social stability should guide statements made by senior security officials, as they carry significant weight.”
Okoh stated that CAN had taken notice of the later police confirmation of the occurrence while appealing for the abductees’ quick and unconditional release. He praised Kayode Egbetokun, Inspector-General of Police, for overseeing the deployment of intelligence and operational resources to the impacted region.
Okoh says, “These actions are both welcome and required. They must, however, be utilized in conjunction with a more methodical, people-centered approach to crisis communication moving ahead.
“We urge all security services and pertinent authorities to improve coordination, enhance verification procedures, and guarantee that reliable community reports are given the weight they merit.
“Victims must be protected, sincere distress calls must be honored, and sensational or dismissive misinformation must be avoided.”
“CAN also urges governments at all levels to confront the persistent insecurity across the country with renewed urgency, as repeated incidents continue to endanger lives, disrupt worship, and erode public confidence,” the statement stated.
Sani said he will make sure the kidnapped victims return safely after visiting the Kurmin Wali community.
Senator Uba Sani, the governor of Kaduna State, promised that his administration will work with security services to secure the safe return of everyone kidnapped during church services in the Kurmin Wali community last Sunday.
During a visit to the neighborhood yesterday, Sani made the guarantee and stated that he would not stop working until the victims were safely returned home.
“We have been working with the relevant security agencies, including the military, the DSS, the police, and the Office of National Security Adviser, in the last two days to ensure the quick return and recovery of our people that were abducted in this very important community,” the governor stated.
“It is the responsibility of the Kaduna State government to protect the lives and property of the people,” he stated, regardless of the number of kidnapped individuals.
“We shouldn’t be talking about numbers or politics,” the governor warned, denouncing individuals he claimed had been milking the regrettable occurrence to gain political points.
Here, the sanctity of human life and dignity are being discussed. For this reason, we will do everything in our power to guarantee that our people return to Kurmin Wali as soon as possible, working with the security agencies.
Sani pledged that the state government will pay for the medical expenses of anyone hurt during the assault.
Given the community’s close proximity to the kidnapping hotspots, he continued, the state government would work with Defense Minister Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd) to create a military facility there.
According to Sani, robbers had found refuge in the interior, but the military had managed to limit the unrest along the Kaduna-Abuja motorway.
He claimed that Kurmin Wali was near Rijana town, one of the nation’s banditry hotspots.
Additionally, he pledged that the road connecting the neighborhood to the highway will be built, stating that the Commissioner for Public Works would do the required assessment before the project’s groundbreaking ceremony.
“We safeguard everyone’s life, regardless of their ethnicity or religion,” Sani said. In the state of Kaduna, we are one. I’m glad the residents of Kurmin Wali have a good understanding of it.
“That’s why you welcomed us, even the ones who are grieving and in mourning, when we came in here.”
Chief Dauda Titus of the Agwam Kufana previously stated that he was in church on Sunday when he received a distress call alerting him to the attack.
“We don’t know how many people were abducted, so we have refused to comment on the incident since Sunday,” he stated. All we mentioned was that there was an incident and that some persons had been kidnapped.
Atiku bemoans the boldness of bandits
Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president, voiced alarm over the growing bravery of bandits, who struck without warning.
Atiku responded to the attack on the Kurmin Wali village by saying it was alarming that while other states declared triumph in their peace agreements with bandits, the same criminals were occupied with hostage-taking and community attacks.
“Seeing non-state actors holding the country hostage and attacking people and taking hostages again and again unchallenged is colossally embarrassing,” he said.
In the name of peace agreements, he said, governors were on their knees pleading with robbers, making it hard to establish deterrence.
Although he was not opposed to talks to put an end to the violence, the former vice president stated that he would not tolerate a system in which bandits set the parameters of peace agreements.
“Those peace agreements always benefit the bandits more than their victims, and they have always tricked the government’s negotiators,” he declared.
Atiku said that the government may act without waiting for robbers to begin attacks.
“The government’s strong language of condemnation no longer impresses Nigerians,” he said. Rhetoric is not as important to them as outcomes.
“Experience has demonstrated that the threat would have been eliminated long ago if rhetoric were sufficient to discourage the bandits.”
The head of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) emphasized that the administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by President Bola Tinubu, must be held responsible for fulfilling its own campaign pledges to eradicate insecurity in the nation.
“Nigerians cannot be comforted by excuses,” he declared. The Tinubu administration must be held to the same standards as the APC, a previous opposition party, applied to the then-governing administration.
PDP: Denial by the Government and Police Is Shameful
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) denounced the federal government’s inaction and the police’s first categorical denial of the abduction of over 170 worshippers in the Kajuru Local Government Area, claiming that these actions constitute a dangerous trend that has been repeated throughout the APC regime.
According to the PDP, this kind of attitude appeared to be an intentional attempt to hide the truth from Nigerians and the normalization of insecurity.
“When news of this mass abduction first emerged, the Commissioner of Police Muhammad Rabiu did not just deny that it happened, he recklessly dismissed it as the work of mischief makers, peddled by ‘conflict entrepreneurs,'” the party said in a statement released by PDP National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong.
The Kaduna State police commissioner “then had the audacity to demand details of victims,” the PDP spokesperson added. In a same vein, the chairman of the Kajuru local government denied that any kidnapping incidents took place under his control.
These denials are extremely painful not only because they are obviously untrue, but also because they show how carelessly this government handles important issues like security.
The people claim that the police were notified right away when the kidnapping took place, which adds to the agony.
“They were able to take action.” Instead, they opted for denial, putting the government’s reputation ahead of 163 Nigerians’ lives.
“Unfortunately, the Commissioner of Police and Chairman have been silent, without offering any apologies for their irresponsible conduct and failure to protect the people, since the police eventually accepted the reality of the sad incident, after the residents and the Christian Association of Nigeria provided the names of those kidnapped,” Ememobong said.
“This act of failed cover-up and public betrayal is extremely shameful and condemnable.”
The PDP asked that the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area and the Commissioner of Police immediately publicly apologize for their initial denial and inaction.
“That these abducted Nigerians be tracked down, rescued, and safely returned to their homes and families by the federal government’s prompt deployment of a powerful security team.”
The party called on the administration to give up performative governance, which put appearances before content.
“Solving problems, not getting praise, is the business of government.” A total of 163 families are in line. “They should take action, not make excuses,” PDP stated.
NHRC Denounces Kano’s Killing of Women and Children
The horrific murder of Mrs. Fatima Abubakar and her six children in Kano State’s Dorayi Chiranchi Quarters was denounced by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which called it an attack on human dignity and a flagrant violation of the right to life.
Unknown attackers allegedly entered into the family’s home on Saturday, January 17, slaughtered the victims with lethal weapons, and allegedly dropped a baby down a well.
According to Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN, Executive Secretary of the NHRC, the act was not only illegal but also a grave violation of Nigeria’s duties under the constitution and international human rights treaties.
According to Ojukwu, the right to life is inviolable and ought to be upheld at all times, especially for vulnerable populations like women and children.
He stressed that such acts endanger public safety and undermine the rule of law, expressing grave worry at the degree of violence displayed in the incident.
In order to identify and prosecute those guilty, he urged Nigeria Police and other pertinent security authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation.
The relatives of the victims, the Dorayi Chiranchi village, and the people of Kano State received condolences from NHRC, which also assured them of the commission’s support during the time of grief.
The commission also reiterated its dedication to advancing and defending human rights throughout the nation and said that it is prepared to collaborate with law enforcement to guarantee justice and accountability in the case.
Speak Out for Justice Advocacy Ltd/Gte (SOJA), another human rights advocacy organization, denounced the murders as well, characterizing them as a serious breach of fundamental human rights and a failure of governmental protection.
The organization stated in a statement released on Tuesday by its legal officer, Hameed Jimoh, that the murder of a mother and her children had shocked the country and threatened the principles of justice, humanity, and the rule of law.
According to SOJA, the occurrence constituted a grave violation of Nigeria’s right to life as provided by Section 33 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) and provisions of international human rights instruments to which Nigeria was a signatory.
The group emphasized that the Nigerian state was clearly required by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to safeguard life and hold violators accountable.
Catholic Cleric in Anambra, Rev. Fr. Nwankwo Describes His Experience with the Gunmen
Rev. Fr. is a Catholic priest and the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. Lawrence Nwankwo described what it was like to be a victim of gunmen.
Nwankwo recounted his trauma and, with God’s grace, survival at the Ekwulobia roundabout during an attack on July 9, 2025, during what he said a 44-minute encounter with gunmen.
He told reporters that while traveling from Ekwulobia to Awka, the state capital, the incident occurred between 7:30 and 8:14 in the morning.
His Eminence Peter Ebere Cardinal Okpaleke, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia, celebrated a Mass of gratitude for the priest in his Igweakpu village, Ndiowu, Orumba North Local Government Area, the state.
He said that God saved him when the thugs threw him in the car’s trunk to be taken away.
“I was on my way to Awka,” said Nwankwo. I stopped waiting for the traffic light to turn green since it was red. However, there were gunshots coming from every direction before this.
“I witnessed individuals shooting as they approached the roundabout from the Nanka Road. On the route to Isuofia, I noticed a woman sleeping on the road split. I assumed that she had been struck by the gunshot.
“And there were gunshots coming from the route to Oko, so I got out of the car and got back in because I had just driven away from Aguata and I wasn’t sure it would be safe to run back.”
“I was in the car, in the passenger’s side behind the driver’s seat, when the door was opened. One of them, wearing a hood and a wig, told me to get down, give them the car’s key, and go into the trunk.”
I completed all of that. After starting the car and applying the brakes, he declared, “We’ll go with this!”Probably to make it easier to flee, he left the driver’s door open and the engine running.
I was completely powerless there, but I was also acutely aware that I might be in a kidnapper’s den. The gunmen continued to fire. I occasionally heard demands for “another magazine!”Perhaps by people who had to reload their weapons.
I heard a cry out of nowhere, “Who is that coming?The number and severity of gunfire increased at that point, and the guns’ sound changed as well.
“I also heard someone say, ‘Don’t shoot from behind!”I found out that the Joint Intervention Force arrived and drove the gunmen out after the ordeal.”
He claimed to have stayed in the trunk and recalled that even after a bullet hit his toe at 7.48 a.m., he was still taken aback by his composure and presence of mind.
“Having committed myself into God’s hands, I was there waiting, not knowing whether, when, and where another bullet might strike,” he stated. God be praised for not hitting me with another bullet. I have no doubt that God stepped in to save me.
Nineteen bullets struck the car. It was, in fact, methodically shot at to eliminate any possible threat rather than just being peppered with bullets. Bullets even hit the spare tire under the trunk where I was lying.
Bullets were strewn all over the passenger seat where I hid until one of the gunmen told me to go to the trunk. It was evident that God used the gunman to transport me to a secure area of the car, and God continued to provide more security even in the trunk.
62 hostages are released after the Army neutralizes terrorists in a coordinated operation.
In coordinated operations in the states of Kebbi and Zamfara, the Nigerian Army’s Operation FANSAN YAMMA declared that two terrorists had been killed and sixty-two hostages had been freed.
The actions were carried out in close cooperation with local vigilantes and partner security forces, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 8 Division Nigerian Army/Sector 2 Operation FANSAN YAMMA.
In Kebbi State, forces attacked members of the Lakurawa Terrorist Group close to the boundary between Augie and Binji local government areas, killing two terrorists and seizing two of the insurgents’ motorcycles, according to an army statement.
The terrorists were dressed in camouflage outfits, and the motorcycles were equipped with long-range mobility gear and covered in heavy blankets.
Similarly, troops in Zamfara State captured 62 kidnapping victims after storming Munhaye Forest, a renowned hideaway of infamous bandit commander Kachalla Alti. The hostages have been placed in secure care, according to the army, and efforts are still being made to reconcile them with their families.
“The operations highlight Operation FANSAN YAMMA’s and its partners’ unwavering efforts to destroy terrorist networks, reestablish security, and save lives in the area,” Osoba stated in the release.
20 terrorists are killed by troops, and soldiers pay a heavy price in a fierce battle.
In the Timbuktu Triangle of Borno State, troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) engaged rebel combatants in a tough and protracted battle that resulted in the deaths of over twenty terrorists, according to the military.
A number of soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) lost their lives during the combat, according to the Joint Task Force, North East. Despite the operation’s notable successes, it was not without cost.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sani Uba, the Media Information Officer for Operation Hadin Kai, said in a statement that forces had continued to move aggressively into the Timbuktu Triangle, gradually weakening terrorist networks that were firmly established there.
He claimed that the most recent stage of operations concentrated on destroying and controlling important terrorist strongholds, such as Tergejeri, Chiralia, and the overall Ajigin/Abirma districts.
“As troops advanced, they made intermittent contact with fleeing terrorist elements,” Uba stated. Numerous terrorists were neutralized as a result of these encounters being faced with heavy fire.
He clarified that two Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs) threatened troops on January 20 as they were gathering at a harbor area, approximately six kilometers north of Chilaria.
“One of the VBIEDs was effectively neutralized by alertness and prompt response. But certain logistics platforms were impacted by the second VBIED, which breached the defensive posture, he claimed.
Uba stated that while some brave soldiers and CJTF members suffered varied degrees of injuries during the attack, others paid the ultimate price.
He stated that Nigerian Army Aviation helicopters quickly transported the injured soldiers to 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital so they could receive medical attention.
According to Uba, Nigerian Air Force platforms from the Air Component, working in tandem with other Nigerian Army air assets, provided constant overwatch during the evacuation process to guarantee the safe extraction of casualties and the security of ground troops, who continued to engage and neutralize terrorist elements.
Troops then discovered mass graves comprising an estimated 20 terrorist remains, further demonstrating the extent of the terrorists’ losses.
According to Uba, the bodies were those of people who had been murdered in earlier conflicts in the Timbuktu Triangle and buried by their escaping colleagues.
“This discovery clearly exposes the extent of terrorist casualties and further discredits the propaganda narratives often pushed by these groups,” he continued.
The military reported that unit morale and combat efficiency were good throughout the Northeast theater, and the security situation remained largely constant.
