Armed terrorists abducted dozens of worshippers from two churches in northwestern Nigeria’s Kaduna State, police said Monday, while a senior church official put the number of those taken at more than 160.
Kaduna state police said gunmen armed with sophisticated weapons attacked the churches in Kurmin Wali, a forest community in Afogo ward, at about 11:25 a.m. Sunday. Police said officers were still working to determine the exact number of abductees.
A police spokesperson said the area is remote and difficult to access because of poor roads, complicating efforts to gather reliable information in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in northern Nigeria, the Rev. John Hayab, said 172 worshippers were kidnapped, with nine later escaping, leaving 163 people still in captivity.
“Information came to me from the elders of the churches that 172 worshippers were abducted while nine escaped,” Hayab told Reuters by phone.
Authorities said troops and other security agencies have been deployed to the area and efforts are underway to track the attackers and rescue those abducted.
Initial figures following mass kidnappings in Nigeria often vary. Security agencies typically release conservative early estimates, while local community and religious leaders sometimes report higher numbers. A similar discrepancy occurred during a previous mass abduction at a Catholic school in Kaduna state.
Northwestern Nigeria has experienced a surge in mass kidnappings in recent years, with armed gangs operating from forest hideouts targeting villages, schools and places of worship.