Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Suspected armed bandits have significantly increased their ransom demands in one of the most harrowing mass abduction crises in Nigeria’s troubled northwest, insisting on payment of ₦250 million and delivery of 20 motorcycles for the release of dozens of worshippers seized in Kaduna State earlier this month.
Community and security sources say the kidnappers are holding at least 166 people captured on January 18 during coordinated attacks on worshippers attending services at three churches in Kurmin Wali, within Kajuru Local Government Area. Survivors and local leaders reported that armed assailants stormed the Cherubim and Seraphim congregations and the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) while services were underway, forcing congregants into the bush before transporting them deeper into forested terrain known for bandit hideouts. Eleven of those initially taken managed to escape, leaving an estimated 166 still in captivity as efforts to secure their freedom continue.
The renewed ransom demands — reportedly communicated by phone to community leaders — exceed initial requests and add a fuel-powered mobility requirement in the form of 20 motorcycles. According to Ishaku Dan’azumi, the village head of Kurmin Wali, the attackers have tied their demand to alleged losses and disputes over motorcycles during recent security operations in the area, suggesting that community members must pay the sum and provide the vehicles before any negotiations on release can proceed. He described the conditions as “far beyond the reach” of the impoverished rural population and appealed to state and federal authorities for assistance in securing the captives’ freedom.
Local residents, religious leaders and civil society groups have expressed mounting frustration with the pace of the official response. Kaduna’s rural communities have long endured a cycle of banditry, mass kidnappings, killings and displacement, with remote villages often left exposed due to limited security presence. In the weeks since the January 18 incident, families and church authorities have mobilised to compile lists of those taken and to press for intensified rescue operations, but tangible progress remains scant.
Concerns about official transparency have further complicated the situation. In the immediate aftermath of the abduction, Kaduna State police authorities publicly challenged accounts of the incident, with the state’s commissioner of police dismissing the reports as false and questioning demands for victim details. Rights groups and church organisations criticised the denial, calling for a rigorous independent investigation and greater access to affected communities.
Amnesty International’s Nigerian branch condemned the abduction as indicative of broader security failures, stressing that those held include minors and pregnant women and urging swift, concerted action by national authorities to secure their safe release. The organisation’s statement framed the ongoing crisis as symptomatic of “endemic impunity” and called for concrete, preventive measures to stem the cycle of violence afflicting northern and central regions of the country.
Security analysts point out that kidnappings for ransom have become a lucrative and destabilising feature of Nigeria’s armed conflict landscape, with criminal networks exploiting expansive terrain and limited state reach. In many cases, attackers on motorbikes — the preferred mode of mobility across forest covers — abduct villagers, students, travellers and worshippers, demanding payments that local populations and governments often struggle to meet. This pattern has drawn international attention and criticism, with foreign governments and human rights advocates urging more decisive action.
The state government, while publicly affirming that rescue efforts are underway, has offered few operational details. Security sources within Kaduna indicate that the approximate location of the captives has been identified, but that the kidnappers may be using them as human shields to deter aggressive military action, including airstrikes or large-scale ground assaults. Efforts by joint security forces from the army, police and other agencies are reportedly ongoing, but no breakthrough has been announced.
Church leaders and community representatives have held prayer vigils and organised meetings to coordinate support for the families of those abducted, simultaneously appealing for broader governmental intervention. Christian associations in the region emphasise the psychological trauma inflicted on relatives and communities, as well as the economic burden of protracted negotiations and ransom demands that far exceed what impoverished villagers can muster.
The nationwide context underscores how Nigeria’s security crisis in recent years has seen an escalation in abductions by heavily armed groups, frequently outpacing state capacity to provide protection. In neighbouring states, similar abductions have triggered military responses, including rescue operations that have freed hostages elsewhere in the northwest. These operations, while occasionally successful, have not stymied the broader pattern of rural insecurity that leaves ordinary citizens vulnerable.
Analysts warn that the ongoing impasse over the kidnappers’ ransom — rooted in both economic extraction and strategic survival — illustrates the challenges in addressing the broader threat landscape. Until governance, security infrastructure and community protection measures are significantly strengthened, attacks of this nature are likely to persist.
As the deadline for response looms and families of the abducted pray for news, local authorities and civil society groups continue to press Nigeria’s government and security forces to intensify their efforts to secure the release of the captives without loss of life. The international community, human rights organisations and regional stakeholders are watching closely, advocating for a resolution that upholds humanitarian norms and restores a measure of safety to beleaguered Kaduna communities.
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