Nigeria: 177 Christians Abducted from Churches During Sunday Worship

Image: Jihad Watch

The identities of the 177 worshippers abducted from ECWA Church and Cherubim and Seraphim Churches 1 and 2 in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have now been made public, shedding light on the scale and human cost of the attack that unfolded on Sunday.

The compiled list reveals a deeply disturbing reality: entire families were seized during the raid, with parents, children, and relatives taken together from their homes and places of worship. The mass abduction has left Kurmin Wali traumatised and effectively hollowed out, with very few able-bodied residents remaining in the village.

This latest assault came barely a week after the same community had paid a ransom of N2.6 million to secure the release of 20 residents who were earlier kidnapped, Vanguard reliably gathered. The recurrence of such violence has heightened fear and despair among residents, many of whom now see no option but to flee.

Although initial reactions from government officials and some security operatives downplayed or denied the incident, a police situation report obtained by Vanguard confirms that the attack did take place and occurred during active church services. According to the report, information was officially received at about 5:45pm on Sunday, indicating that the assailants struck much earlier in the day, at approximately 11:25am.

The report details how an unspecified number of armed bandits, wielding what were described as sophisticated weapons, stormed the ECWA Church and Cherubim and Seraphim Church 2 in Kurmin Wali. The attackers fired sporadically, triggering panic and chaos as worshippers attempted to escape, many fleeing into the surrounding forest to save their lives.

The police situation report stated:“Message received from DPO Kajuru indicates that on 18/01/2026 at about 1745hrs an information was received that same date at about 1125hrs, unspecified numbers of bandits armed with sophisticated weapons attacked ECWA Church and Cherubim Serafim Church 2 at Kurmin Wali in Kajuru LGA. The communities are yet to ascertain the number of worshipers kidnapped to unknown destination. The village is situated in a remote forest area. The DPO mobilized other sister security agencies and the military to the scene, which cannot be accessed immediately due to bad road. Concerted effort in collaboration with all stakeholders has been intensified to rescue the victims and possibly arrest the perpetrators. Investigation has commenced.”

By the following day, Kurmin Wali had been virtually abandoned. Survivors who managed to escape the attack reportedly fled to nearby towns and villages, seeking refuge with relatives and friends. Some residents sustained injuries while escaping through the forest and were said to be in a state of shock. Poor network coverage in the area, coupled with lost or destroyed mobile phones, has made it difficult to reach many of them for comment or confirmation of their condition.

Additional details from earlier reports further underscore the confusion surrounding the exact number of abducted victims. According to a report by DW titled “Nigeria: Gunmen kidnap more than 160 in church attacks,” published on January 19, 2026, a senior leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) stated that 163 worshippers were kidnapped during Sunday services at the two churches in Kaduna State.

Reverend Joseph Hayab, head of CAN in northern Nigeria, said the attackers arrived in large numbers, blocked the church entrances, and forcibly marched worshippers into the surrounding bush. He explained that while 172 people were initially taken, nine managed to escape, leaving 163 still in captivity.

Meanwhile, Usman Danlami Stingo, a politician representing the area in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, spoke of three separate attacks carried out during Sunday church services and placed the number of abducted persons at 168, according to the Associated Press. A police spokesperson, speaking to Reuters, confirmed that gunmen armed with sophisticated weapons attacked the two churches but said authorities were still working to verify the precise number of those kidnapped.

All reports agree that the attacks occurred in Kurmin Wali, a predominantly Christian community located deep within a forested area. Its remoteness and poor road infrastructure have continued to pose serious challenges to security response and rescue operations. Police authorities said troops and other security agencies have since been deployed to the area and that efforts are ongoing to track down the abductors and secure the safe release of the captives.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)