Eighty of the 177 worshippers abducted from three churches in Kurmin Wali village, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have escaped from captivity and reunited with their families.
The Village Head of Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Dan’azumi, disclosed this on Sunday, noting that 11 of the victims had escaped shortly after the abduction on January 18, while the remaining 80 fled more recently.
According to him, the escapees initially took refuge in neighbouring communities before returning home. He said 86 worshippers are still being held by the bandits in a forest.
Dan’azumi lamented that some individuals were attempting to politicise the tragedy, even as families of the victims continue to suffer trauma.
He appealed to the government and the military to intensify efforts to secure the release of those still in captivity, adding that Kurmin Wali and surrounding villages had lived under persistent fear of bandit attacks and kidnappings.
Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, said the command would issue a comprehensive report on the incident.
There have been conflicting accounts over the scale of the abductions. While the Kaduna State Police Command and the Kajuru Local Government Council initially dismissed reports of a mass abduction, community leaders and church officials insisted that worshippers were taken during church services.
The controversy deepened after a list of 177 alleged abductees, compiled by families and church leaders, emerged following a public request by the Commissioner of Police for verifiable details.
Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, Rev. John Hayab, had earlier stated that more than 160 worshippers were abducted.
Residents said gunmen attacked Catholic, ECWA, and Cherubim and Seraphim churches, locked the gates and forced congregants into the bush.
