Kaduna Govt, Police, CAN Clash Over Alleged Abduction of 163 Church Members

The Kaduna State Government and the Nigeria Police have rejected claims that 163 church members were abducted during a worship service in Kajuru Local Government Area, disputing an account earlier given by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

CAN’s chairperson in Kajuru LGA, Enoch Kaura, had told newsmen on Monday that armed bandits attacked a church service on Sunday and abducted 172 worshippers. He said nine people later escaped, leaving 163 still in captivity.

According to Mr Kaura, the attackers stormed the church mid-service, blocked the entrance, and forced the congregation into nearby bush paths. He said those taken included men, women, and children.

Following the state government’s denial, Mr Kaura maintained that the abduction took place and said the church was compiling a list of victims to present to security agencies and the public.

However, Kaduna State authorities dismissed the report, saying security checks in the area did not support claims of a mass kidnapping.

Speaking after a State Security Council meeting on Monday, the Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, described the report as false and accused unnamed individuals of spreading misinformation to destabilise the state. He challenged CAN and other claimants to provide names and details of the alleged victims.

Mr Rabiu warned against the spread of unverified reports, saying those responsible risk prosecution.

The Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area, Dauda Madaki, also denied that any such incident occurred. He said security forces were deployed to Kurmin Wali, the community where the alleged attack was said to have taken place, but found no evidence of an attack.

Mr Madaki said local leaders, including the village head and youth leader, confirmed to him that no abduction occurred. He added that no list of abducted persons had been submitted to the council or security agencies.

“I challenge anyone to name the people that were kidnapped,” he said, adding that the rumour may be driven by individuals unhappy with what he described as improved security in the area.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shuaibu (SAN), said religious leaders, including officials of CAN, had visited the community and found that the reported incident did not occur.

He said the information circulated in the public space was “completely false,” based on findings from interactions with residents of the area.