Kaduna Church Abduction: Terrorists Raise Ransom to ₦250m, 20 Motorcycles as Community Cries for Help
Gunmen suspected to be terrorists who abducted no fewer than 166 worshippers in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have reportedly raised their ransom demand to ₦250 million and 20 motorcycles, deepening fears and anguish in the affected communities.
PulseNets learnt that the victims were seized during coordinated attacks on churches in Kurmin Wali village, a rural community in southern Kaduna that has suffered years of violent assaults linked to banditry and kidnapping.
Speaking on the worsening situation, the village head of Kurmin Wali, Mr. Ishaku Dan’azumi, told PulseNets that the abduction took place on January 18, 2026, when armed men stormed the village during a religious gathering and whisked away men, women, and youths without discrimination.
PulseNets reported that the latest ransom demand has left residents devastated, as the agrarian community is already grappling with poverty, displacement, and the aftermath of repeated attacks.
“This demand is completely beyond the capacity of our people,” Dan’azumi said. “We are appealing to the government and the security agencies to intervene urgently and help secure the release of our brothers, sisters, and children.”
Kajuru Local Government Area, located in southern Kaduna, has for years remained a flashpoint of insecurity, with communities frequently targeted for mass kidnappings, killings, and arson. PulseNets obtained that hundreds of families have been displaced as villagers abandon their homes and farmlands in search of safety.
Community leaders, according to information available to PulseNets, are now intensifying calls on the Kaduna State Government and security agencies to scale up rescue operations and deploy stronger security architecture to prevent further attacks on vulnerable rural settlements.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, visited one of the churches attacked by terrorists in Kurmin Wali following the incident that plunged the area into fear and mourning.
Multiple sources, who spoke to SaharaReporters, said the police commissioner arrived with heavily armed operatives and instructed everyone present to switch off their mobile phones, warning against taking photographs or recording videos during the visit.
PulseNets learnt that the commissioner also toured surrounding communities affected by the attacks. The visit came amid renewed assaults across southern Kaduna, despite earlier denials by the same police commissioner that worshippers had been abducted.
SaharaReporters also obtained a video from the scene showing the commissioner inspecting the church premises alongside armed officers and interacting with some of the victims.
In the footage, one of the victims, dressed in a yellow jersey, was seen with visible head injuries. The victim reportedly escaped while the terrorists were transporting abducted worshippers into the forest.
During the visit, the police commissioner was seen questioning the injured victim in Hausa, asking how he managed to flee and what transpired during the attack.
Recounting his experience, the victim explained that the assault occurred suddenly during worship.
Also Read: US Congress Condemns Kaduna Church Abductions, Warns Against Continued Persecution of Christians in Nigeria
“When we got to the area where they were chasing people, I was holding my daughter,” he said. “Because there were many of us, when we reached a place where houses were close together and the road was narrow, I escaped. I entered a house and locked it. They didn’t notice me.”
When asked whether he was inside the main church at the time of the attack, the victim clarified: “I was worshipping in another church nearby, the ECWA church.”
