Dozens of worshippers kidnapped at Nigerian church buildings by armed gunmen

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Quite a few worshippers from a minimum of two church buildings in Nigeria have been kidnapped throughout Sunday providers by armed gangs, Reuters reported.

Whereas Kaduna state police on Monday reportedly cited conservative figures, saying dozens have been being held captive because the investigation stays in its early phases, a senior church chief famous that greater than 160 worshippers have been kidnapped by gunmen over the weekend.

Sunday’s incident, which BBC said focused each Christians and Muslims, marks the most recent mass kidnapping in Nigeria’s long-running streak of religiously fueled assaults. Muslim Fulani militants continuously perform violence in northern and central components of Nigeria to bankrupt Christian communities whereas receiving ransom funds.

Kaduna state police stated gunmen armed with "refined weapons" attacked two church buildings within the village of Kurmin Wali in Afogo ward at about 11:25 a.m. on Sunday, Reuters reported.

52 CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA KIDNAPPED BY GUNMEN IN LATEST ATTACK: REPORT

Folks stroll previous a faculty in Nigeria on March 8, 2024, following mass kidnappings that focused 250 college students. (Haidar Umar/AFP through Getty Photographs)

Reverend John Hayab, the chairman of the Christian Affiliation of Nigeria situated within the northern a part of the nation, advised Reuters:

"Data got here to me from the elders of the church buildings that 172 worshipers have been kidnapped whereas 9 escaped," Hayab stated.

Early estimates from safety companies are usually conservative, whereas group and non secular leaders usually report larger numbers. In Nigeria, casualty and abduction figures usually range broadly within the days following mass kidnappings.

NIGERIA NAMED EPICENTER OF GLOBAL KILLINGS OF CHRISTIANS OVER FAITH IN 2025, REPORT SAYS

<img src="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2018/09/1200/675/nigeria3-e1768876658213.jpg?ve=1&tl=1" alt="Security officers patrol the area near to the site where gunmen abducted German archaeologists professor Peter Breunig and his associate Johannes Behringer in Janjala Village, Nigeria. Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. Kidnappers are demanding a ransom of 60 million naira (about Dlrs 200,000 US) for the two captives abducted this week from Janjala village in northern Nigeria, the excavation site where the German archaeologists was working. Two villagers were shot and killed in the kidnapping, police confirmed Friday. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi )" width="1200" height="675"/> Safety officers patrol an space in Janjala Village, Nigeria, on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, following the kidnapping and killings of a number of folks. (Lekan Oyekanmi/AP Picture)

Police stated troops and different safety companies had been deployed to the realm, with efforts underway to trace the abductors and safe the discharge of the captives, Reuters reported.

Nigeria has skilled a dramatic surge in mass assaults by armed gangs, significantly Islamist militants, who usually function from forest enclaves and goal villages, colleges and locations of worship.

GUNMEN ATTACK CHURCH IN NIGERIA, KILLING TWO AND KIDNAPPING OTHERS

In 2025, Nigeria was named the epicenter of world killings of Christians, in response to the Open Doorways World Watch Record. The report famous that whereas Muslims are additionally continuously attacked, Christians have been "disproportionately focused," with one in 5 African Christians dealing with excessive ranges of persecution.

Girl in Benue State Christian refugee camp. The camp is inhabited by Christians who fled anti-Christian violence. (Open Doorways)

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In November, 52 Catholic college students, together with a number of workers members, have been kidnapped by gunmen at St. Mary’s Faculty in Nigeria, The Related Press reported.

In April, the Evangelical Church Profitable All, a significant church based mostly in West Africa, stated it paid the equal of $205,000 in ransom to safe the discharge of roughly 50 members kidnapped in Kaduna, Nigerian lawyer Jabez Musa advised Fox Information Digital.