One week after the abduction of worshippers from three churches in Kurmin Wali village, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria (CSW-N) is concerned that, after several days, the remaining 166 individuals are still being held captive.
More worrying is that children as young as five, women, and some elderly men are forced to sleep in the cold, exposed to the elements, hungry, and in danger.
It may be recalled that on January 18th, 177 people were kidnapped from three churches in Kurmin Wali during their church service, though some later escaped. On Monday, 19, officials initially denied the incident until the Force Public Relations Officer finally admitted it had occurred. The governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, later visited the community.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria, which visited the community on Sunday, 25th, commends the Kaduna State government for providing medical care to the 11 who initially escaped, mobilising construction equipment to begin repairing the road to the community, and providing security for the community. However, the continued captivity of the victims, while their relatives continue to live in fear and apprehension, calls for urgent action to rescue them.
Rescuing them as quickly as possible will help address the trust issue that was dented by the initial denial of the kidnapping, noted the Chief Executive Officer of CSW-N, Reverend Yunusa Sabo Nmadu, who also pleaded for the rescue of other victims kidnapped from different communities in the state.
