Police rescind denial to confirm Nigeria church kidnappings
On Sunday 18 January, armed men attacked three churches in southern Kaduna state kidnapping at least 177 worshippers. However, a statement from local government officials the following Monday, described the reports of the mass kidnapping as “mere falsehood which is being peddled by conflict entrepreneurs who want to cause chaos”.
This led to uncertainty about the church kidnappings with various global news authorities confirming their own reports and accounts of the truth of the church attacks.
Escaped believers speak out
The churches where the kidnappings took place are named Cherubim and Seraphim 1 and 2. They are located in Kurmin Wali area of Kajuru, with local believers and community members left traumatised and too scared to sleep in their houses since the attacks.
Recounting the incident, Yunana Adauji, a secretary of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) denomination of churches, who was among those who escaped, said that “the incident took place around 9:30 am while we were having Sunday morning worship. The terrorists came in their numbers with guns shouting ‘Allahu Akubar’ and gathered worshippers together in one place and threatened to shoot anyone who tries to escape.”
He added that “the victims kidnapped were forced into the bush including children, women and men as well as sick people who were at home recuperating after surgery. We don’t know the condition of our people who were kidnapped, we need your prayers and help to see an end to these attacks.”
Because of the recent attack, some villagers have now resorted to sleeping in the bush for safety, fearing being attacked at night. A nursing mother whose husband and nine children are among those kidnapped shared, “we always sleep in the bush anytime the attacks on our community start. Right now my baby is sick because of the cold and mosquitoes. Please pray for us.”
MaiGirma Shekarau is among those who were able to escape, but still has family who remain in captivity. He shared that “after the terrorists took us from the church, we trekked for a long distance without food and water and those who couldn’t walk fast were flogged and brutalized by the terrorists. I have bad injuries on my head and others too are injured, still with blood gushing out, they forced us to keep moving. They asked us to rest after hours of trekking at a deserted Christian community.”
Shekarau added that while they were resting, he took his two-year-old baby and hid in a dilapidated house. After two hours, when he noticed that the area was clear, he came out hiding and trekked back to a nearby community for safe.
While this past Sunday’s mass kidnapping has drawn world attention, this is not the first attack the community has experienced.
Prayer Point
There is much discussion about the motive of these attacks, and whether it’s really religious persecution. But while the world debates motives and terminology, people are dying. And although some people are increasingly making the violence out to be only about politics, it is an issue everyone should care about. It’s an issue about humanity and the fact that victim’s precariousness is increased. Please pray for immediate and concrete action to protect citizens and that there are measures to address the needs of all those affected. Pray for the safe return of all who have been kidnapped. Pray also for the entire Kurmin Wali community who are extremely traumatised.
