Following the mass abduction of 177 worshippers from Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area, kidnappers involved in the abduction, have issued an unprecedented demand: the return of 17 motorcycles lost during recent military operations, not a cash ransom.
The village head, Mr. Ishaku Dan’azumi, confirmed that the assailants made contact through a community negotiator. “They insisted that all 17 missing motorcycles must be returned and damaged parts, like carburettors and spark plugs, replaced before they can release our people,” Dan’azumi stated.
The worshippers were seized in coordinated Sunday morning attacks on three churches: Seraphim and Cherubim Church 1 and 2, and an ECWA Church.
Security sources link the abduction directly to ongoing military offensives that have dislodged bandit camps in neighbouring Kauru LGA, around areas like Gabachua and the Agwalla forest. The attackers, reportedly fleeing these operations, targeted the churches while evading security forces.
The incident has sparked a secondary crisis of credibility between the community and authorities. The Adara Development Association (ADA) has called for a public apology from the State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, and the Kajuru Local Government Chairman, Dauda Madaki. This follows the officials’ initial dismissal of the abductions as “falsehoods peddled by conflict entrepreneurs” during a Monday press conference—a position the Nigeria Police Force retracted in a statement on Tuesday night.
ADA President, Sebastine Barde, condemned the officials’ “deliberate suppression of facts” and lack of empathy, noting the chairman is an indigene of the affected Afogo Ward. The association has provided a verified list of the victims to authorities, confirming 177 were initially taken, with 11 escaping, leaving 166 in captivity.
As military patrols intensify under the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, the community and families of the captives wait in anguish. They are appealing to Governor Uba Sani and the Federal Government to secure the hostages’ release and address the pervasive insecurity that continues to disrupt life in Southern Kaduna.
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