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Gunmen reportedly kidnapped more than 160 Christian worshippers after attacking two churches in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, on Sunday, a church leader said.
During Sunday mass, the gunmen broke into the two churches in Kurmin Wali village in the predominantly Christian Kajuru district.
Reverend Joseph Hayab, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria in northern Nigeria, said the attackers arrived in large numbers, blocked the church entrances and forced worshippers into nearby bush areas.
“The actual number they took was 172, but nine escaped, so 163 are with them,” Hayab told AFP.
“The attackers came in numbers and blocked the entrance of the churches and forced the worshippers out into the bush,” he added.
He said the attacks targeted two churches during Sunday services.
A United Nations security report seen by AFP on Monday also confirmed the abduction of more than 100 people.
Last year, in 2025, US President Donald Trump declared that Christians in Nigeria are under “existential threat” as right-wing political allies, including Senator Ted Cruz, push claims of “Christian mass murder” that experts say are false.
Social media narratives about “persecution” and “Christian genocide” in Nigeria have been gaining traction among the far right in Europe and America.
Africa’s most populous country is embroiled in numerous conflicts that experts say have killed both Christians and Muslims.
