The identities of 177 worshippers abducted on Sunday during attacks on three churches in Kajuru LGA of Kaduna State have been released, shedding light on the full scale of the tragedy.
Gatekeepers News reports that the gunmen stormed the churches and whisked away more than 100 worshippers, prompting national outrage.
However, Kaduna State Police Command initially dismissed the reports as falsehoods spread by “conflict entrepreneurs” seeking to disrupt the state’s relative peace. Speaking at a press briefing in Kaduna, Commissioner of Police Muhammad Rabiu challenged those spreading the reports to provide names and details of the victims, insisting that there was no record of such abductions.
Their denial drew criticism from Nigerians and human rights groups, including Christian Solidarity Worldwide-Nigeria (CSW-N), which accused security operatives of obstructing efforts to independently verify the incident.
The group said soldiers prevented its team from accessing the community during a fact-finding visit, despite presenting proper identification.
The list was issued on Wednesday by Sebastine Barde, president of the Adara Development Association (ADA), an umbrella body representing the Adara ethnic nationality in Kajuru and Kachia LGAs.
The list, issued on Wednesday by Sebastine Barde, president of the Adara Development Association (ADA), reveals that entire families were abducted together. Among the most affected are the Amos family, with 13 members including Mary, Hamid, Patricia, Hamisu, Luka, Tacy, Samuel, Daniel, Deborah, and Ruth Amos; the Jonathan family with 12 members including Mary, George, Helen, Careful, Daniel, Peter, Grace, Happiness, Asinwa, and Samuel Jonathan; and at least nine members of the Markus family, including Markus, Benjamin, Albert, Ofelana, Linus, and Tobias Markus. Other families such as the Markudi family with Nabilah, Hajara, and Augustine Makudi, and the Luka family with Faith, Beauty, Junior, Rosemary, Dorothy, and Selina Luka were also abducted.
Additional victims include members of the Ishaya family such as Hassan, Lazarus, Marta, Zummunta, Salvation, and Nehemiah Ishaya; the Bawa family including Joseph, Dogara, Patricio, and Lories Bawa; and the Ahmad family with Ahmad, Sadiq, and Aisha Ahmad. Other individuals include Samson, Ezekiel, and Christopher Naallah; Clever Godwin; Jerusalem and Joseph Chindo; EF and Junior James; Gloria Kennet; Fidelis Jacob; Beauty Peter; Helena and Sarah Joseph; Bulus Mariya; Musa Samaila; Halima Bawa; Beture Hosea; Titus John; and Ibrahim and Zainab Lawal. The oldest victim is 71-year-old Augustina Matthew, while the youngest is five-year-old Salvation Idris.
Reacting to the abduction, Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, condemned the attack, describing it as yet another unfortunate consequence of a nation where insecurity has been allowed to grow, unchecked and unchallenged.
He said the incident highlights a greater crisis of safety, leadership, and unity in the country, noting that Nigerians are forced to wake up to news of mass abductions, disputed figures, and official denials while citizens live in fear.
Obi drew attention to similar attacks in other states, including Benue, Zamfara, Kano, Niger, and Plateau, emphasising that “Nigeria is not at war, yet here we are again, counting victims with inconsistencies that surpass those of nations at war.”
Obi criticised the government for prioritising resources for “waste, propaganda, and foreign lobbyists” instead of protecting citizens, adding that a government that can mobilise resources for everything else, but cannot secure communities or protect its people, has misplaced its priorities.
He expressed solidarity with the people of Kaduna, saying, “To the people of Kaduna, you are not alone. We stand with you, and to the families whose loved ones were taken, we share in your pain.”
He added, “We pray and hope that those abducted will be found and returned safely, and that those injured in the course of this attack receive swift and full medical recovery,” while calling on relevant authorities to act decisively and ensure the safe release of the victims.
The attack comes barely a week after N2.6 million ransom was reportedly paid by the same community to bandits to secure the release of 20 residents previously abducted.
