Gunmen kidnapped more than 150 worshippers in coordinated attacks on three churches in northwest Nigeria, a state lawmaker told The Associated Press on Monday.
According to Usman Danlami Stingo, a member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, the attacks took place on Sunday in Kurmin Wali, a community in the Kajuru area of Kaduna state. The assaults occurred simultaneously while religious services were being held at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), a Catholic church, and a church belonging to the Cherubim and Seraphim denomination.
Stingo said that 177 people were initially reported missing following the attacks. “Eleven of them have returned, meaning 168 people are still unaccounted for,” he stated.
Kaduna State police have not issued any response regarding the incident.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, criminal gangs and armed groups frequently target remote communities where government presence and security are limited.
The country’s northern regions have been particularly affected by such violence.
Similar attacks on churches have previously sparked allegations that Christians are being persecuted, including claims made by former US President Donald Trump and some American lawmakers. On December 25, the US government reportedly carried out military strikes in Sokoto, targeting an Islamic State-linked group operating in the region.
The Nigerian government has rejected claims that the country’s worsening security situation amounts to a “Christian genocide.”
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