The Nigeria Police Force’s Kaduna State command has denied allegations that more than 100 attendees were kidnapped by bandits during a church service in the state’s Kajuru Local Government Area, calling them untrue and purposefully fabricated to incite fear.
The abduction of the congregants at Kurmin Wali hamlet during a Sunday church service was reported earlier on Monday, January 19.
However, Muhammad Rabiu, the Commissioner of Police, told reporters following the State Security Council meeting at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House that the claim was a lie being promoted by “conflict entrepreneurs.”
Rabiu urged the people making the claim to provide reliable information about the purported victims.
The police chief declared, “I challenge anyone making this claim to provide the names of the kidnapped persons and other relevant particulars.”
He cautioned those who spread rumors to stop trying to sabotage the state’s current calm.
Rabiu continued, “Anyone found spreading such falsehood with the intention of causing chaos will face the full wrath of the law.”
Speaking as well, Dauda Madaki, the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area, claimed that after hearing the information, he promptly dispatched security personnel to the community, only to learn that no such incident had taken place.
“I mobilized the police and other security agencies to Kurmin Wali when we learned about the alleged attack.” There was no sign of an attack when we went to the church where the kidnapping was said to have occurred, Madaki stated.
He continued by saying that local youth and traditional authorities denied any knowledge of kidnappings.
“I asked Mai Dan Zaria, the head of the village, and he confirmed that no such attack occurred,” he stated.
“I also called the local youth leader, Bernard Bona, who told the accompanying press team that nothing of the sort had occurred.”
Madaki also urged anyone disseminating the report to provide hard evidence.
I hereby issue a challenge to anyone to reveal the names of those who have been abducted. He remarked, “I have been waiting for this list, but nobody has come forward.”
He said that people who were unhappy with the relative peace in Kajuru might have supported the rumor.
He continued, “I think the rumor of the kidnapping is being sponsored by people who are unhappy with the relative peace Kajuru has been enjoying since the coming of this administration.”
The chairman of the council asked citizens to keep their cool and carry on with their legal activities while alerting security services to any suspicious activity or rumor-mongers.
Sule Shuaibu (SAN), the Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, responded by saying that religious leaders, including the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, had visited the village to confirm the allegations.
“They engaged with locals and discovered that the information being disseminated to the public was wholly untrue,” Shuaibu stated.
“The Kaduna State Government has zero tolerance for criminality,” he reassured the populace, emphasizing that security forces are still on guard throughout the state.
