Gunmen abducted more than 150 worshippers during coordinated attacks on three churches in the country’s northwest, a state lawmaker told AP on Monday, January 19, 2026, underscoring the persistent insecurity facing communities in the region.
The assaults took place Sunday in Kurmin Wali, a community in the Kajuru area of Kaduna State, while worshippers were attending services and a Mass at three separate churches: the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), a church belonging to the Cherubim and Seraphim denomination, and a Catholic church.
The information was provided to The Associated Press by Usman Danlami Stingo, who represents the area in the state parliament.
“As of yesterday, 177 people were missing, and 11 came back. So we have 168 still missing,” Stingo said.
Kaduna state police have not yet commented on the abductions, and no group has claimed responsibility.
Mass kidnappings and village raids have become a grim pattern across large swaths of Nigeria, particularly in the north and northwest, where armed gangs — often referred to locally as bandits — exploit limited security presence and poor infrastructure. These groups frequently target rural communities, abducting residents for ransom, or looting homes and places of worship.
The northern region of Africa’s most populous nation has borne the brunt of such violence in recent years. While many attacks are criminally motivated, religious sites have increasingly become targets, heightening fears among faith communities and exacerbating existing ethnic and religious tensions.
For residents of Kajuru and surrounding areas, the immediate concern remains the fate of those still missing. Families of abducted worshippers say they have received little information and fear prolonged captivity, as negotiations with armed groups can stretch on for weeks or months.
The violence has also drawn concern from the Vatican. Speaking to journalists on November 18 at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV said the bloodshed in Nigeria poses a danger “for Christians, and for everyone, Christians and Muslims,” adding that both communities have been “massacred.”
He linked the violence not only to terrorism but also to a “war economy” driven by land disputes, weapons trafficking, and resource pressure, stressing the need for authorities to promote authentic religious freedom.
Christian advocacy groups and Western parliamentary hearings have warned that Nigeria has become the world’s deadliest country for Christians, with one recent analysis estimating that nearly nine out of 10 Christians killed for their faith worldwide are Nigerians.
Analysts and church officials note, however, that the broader conflict has displaced millions and claimed many Muslim civilians as well, particularly in attacks by extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, underscoring the complexity of a crisis driven by insecurity, criminality, and competition for land and resources.
