by Nij Martin
In one of the most troubling security incidents to hit Nigeria in recent months, 177 worshippers were abducted from churches in Kaduna state on Sunday, January 18, 2026. But what makes this story particularly disturbing isn’t just the mass kidnapping itself—it’s the fact that Nigerian authorities initially denied it ever happened. For nearly two days, state police officials and local government leaders dismissed reports of the attack as “totally false,” “mere falsehood,” and rumors “sponsored by people who are not happy with the relative peace” in the area. Then, under mounting pressure from Christian leaders who produced a list of 177 names, national police authorities reversed course and admitted the abduction had occurred. The question everyone is asking now is: why did the Nigerian police deny the reports in the first place, and what does this say about how Nigeria’s government responds to attacks on its citizens, particularly Christians?
The Attack and the Initial Denial
On Sunday morning around 11:25 AM, armed bandits attacked three churches in Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State: ECWA Church and Cherubim and Seraphim Churches 1 and 2. According to witnesses and a police situation report obtained by Vanguard, the assailants arrived on motorcycles and on foot, split into three groups, and simultaneously targeted the churches during worship services. They fired sporadically, forcing worshippers to flee into the surrounding forest, and then systematically rounded up victims—entire families, including elderly women and young children. The oldest victim is 71-year-old Augustina Matthew. The youngest, Salvation Idris, is just six years old. Other children on the list include Likita Amos, 6; Jumota Idris, 7; Tessy Amos, 8; and Yahaya Joshua, 9. Analysis of the 177 names revealed that entire households were abducted: the Jonathan family lost 12 members, the Amos family 13, the Markus/Makudi family 10, and so on down the line.
But when news of the attack began to spread, Kaduna state authorities responded not with rescue operations but with categorical denials. Kaduna State Police Commissioner Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu said late Monday that police visited one of the three churches and “there was no evidence of the attack.” He described the reports as “mere falsehood which is being peddled by conflict entrepreneurs who want to cause chaos” and challenged “anyone to list the names of the kidnapped victims and other particulars.” The chairman of Kajuru local government area, Dauda Madaki, backed up this denial, saying security forces found “no evidence of the attack” and that the village head confirmed “there was no such attack.” Police also quoted the state’s commissioner for internal security and home affairs saying religious leaders visited the area and “found out that what was pushed out to the public sphere was completely false.”
The Evidence Forces a U-Turn
The problem with these denials is that they were demonstrably false. Community leaders, residents who escaped, and Christian organizations all confirmed the attack had occurred. Ishaku Dan’azumi, the village head of Kurmin Wali, stated bluntly: “I am one of the people who escaped from the bandits. We all saw it happen, and anyone who says it didn’t happen is lying.” A senior Christian leader in the state, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, told the Associated Press: “This happened, and our job is to help them. These people came, attacked, and picked people from churches. But I think they prefer to play the politics of denying, and I don’t think that’s what we want.”
The Christian Association of Nigeria took up the challenge issued by police. Reverend Joseph Hayab, head of CAN for the north, stated: “We did produce the names of over 177 people and there is no contest that it was real… Such a number couldn’t have been taken and you think you can bury it just like that.” The list, obtained and published by Vanguard and verified by multiple Christian organizations, painted a harrowing picture of entire families torn from their homes and places of worship. By Tuesday, with detailed evidence circulating and sustained pressure from Christian leaders, national police authorities could no longer maintain the denial.
National police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin issued a statement late Tuesday admitting an “abduction” had occurred and that security operations were launched to rescue the victims. He explained that the initial remarks from local officials were “intended to prevent unnecessary panic while facts were being confirmed” and were “not a denial of the incident but a measured response pending confirmation.” He stated that subsequent verification from operational and intelligence units confirmed the attack did happen. In other words: we were lying, but for your own good.
Why the Denial? And Why Does It Matter?
So why would authorities deny an attack that clearly happened, that witnesses confirmed, and that left an entire village deserted as survivors fled to stay with relatives in nearby communities? There are several possible explanations, none of them reassuring. First, there’s the political dimension. Kaduna State, like much of northern Nigeria, has been plagued by mass kidnappings for years. Admitting yet another massive security failure reflects poorly on state leadership. Commissioner Rabiu’s statement about rumors being “sponsored by people who are not happy with the relative peace that Kajuru has been enjoying” suggests authorities were more concerned with protecting their narrative of successful governance than with protecting their citizens.
Second, there’s the pattern of downplaying attacks on Christians specifically. Nigeria is facing numerous security challenges—kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs, an Islamist insurgency in the northeast, separatist violence in the southeast, and battles between herders and farmers over land and water. The government insists that people of all faiths have been victims of attacks, and Nigerian foreign ministry spokesman Alkasim Abdulkadir has stated that “Nigeria remains committed to protecting all citizens, Christians and Muslims alike, without discrimination.” But the facts on the ground tell a different story. Attacks against churches are common in Nigeria, and in the past few months, the country has been in diplomatic crosshairs with the United States over its failure to protect Christian communities. U.S. President Donald Trump warned earlier this month of more strikes if Christians continued to be killed in Nigeria, following Christmas Day airstrikes on Islamic State camps. In this context, admitting another mass church abduction would further inflame international criticism.
Third—and most damningly—the denial may have directly aided the kidnappers. Reverend Hayab accused security agents of enabling the bandits to escape with the large number of victims: “If the security agents had gone after the bandits, they would have prevented them from taking the victims to where they are now hiding. Instead, the security agents only helped the bandits move the victims to a place where they could conceal them and make their demands. Had they pursued the attackers immediately, instead of arguing over whether anyone had, indeed, been kidnapped, they would have chased them away, whether they were right or wrong.” This is the most serious charge: that by denying the attack and delaying response, authorities gave bandits the time they needed to move 177 hostages deep into remote forest areas where rescue would be far more difficult.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria (CSW-N) reported that when their team attempted to visit the attack site to conduct independent verification, they were stopped by military forces. CSW-N Research and Press Officer Reuben Buhari said: “Thirty minutes after the incident, as the team was about to enter Kurmin Wali, CSW-N encountered a military convoy, including the chairman of Kajuru Local Government, which was leaving the community. They later refused to allow CSW-N team entry, despite repeated pleas and after the team showed full identification. The military officer who stopped the CSW-N said there was a standing order not to allow us in. Consequently, our team turned and was escorted to the main road, back to Kaduna.” Why would authorities block independent investigators from verifying an attack they claimed never happened? The obvious answer is that they knew it had happened and were trying to control the narrative.
The Human Cost
While authorities played politics with denials and confirmations, real families were suffering. The raid came barely a week after the same community paid 2.6 million naira (approximately $1,700) in ransom to secure the release of 20 residents previously abducted. As of Tuesday, the village of Kurmin Wali was deserted. Those who escaped had fled to nearby communities. Some who sustained injuries during the escape were reportedly still in shock, while poor network coverage and lost phones made it difficult to reach them for comment. Elderly women and young children were later released by the bandits, and 11 people reportedly escaped, leaving 167 in captivity according to CSW-N’s engagement with community sources.
The list of 177 names tells stories of unimaginable trauma. Entire families worshipping together on a Sunday morning, suddenly torn apart. Parents watching helplessly as their children were herded away at gunpoint. A 71-year-old woman forced to march into the forest. Six-year-olds who will carry the psychological scars of this terror for the rest of their lives. And through it all, their government’s first instinct was not to rescue them but to deny they existed.
International Condemnation and Domestic Criticism
The reversal has drawn sharp criticism both domestically and internationally. U.S. lawmaker Rep. Riley Moore described the abduction as “horrific news” and urged the Nigerian government to ensure swift and safe return of the victims, tweeting: “Our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing an existential threat at the hands of the Fulani militants. More must be done to protect them, and I urge the Nigerian government to ensure the swift and safe return of all those who were captured.”
Former Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi raised alarm over the incident, describing it as “unacceptable” and highlighting the recurring pattern of mass abductions across Nigeria. He said: “I have just been informed that yet again, at the weekend, about 172 worshippers were abducted from churches in Kaduna. This is another unfortunate consequence of a nation where insecurity has been allowed to grow unchecked and unchallenged. Even with official denials, we must ask ourselves hard questions, can we continue waking up to news of mass abductions, disputed figures, and denials while citizens live in fear?” Obi stressed that authorities must act swiftly to rescue the victims and prevent further occurrences, adding that “Nigeria deserves a government that treats human life as sacred. The time to stop this insecurity is now.”
A Troubling Pattern
This isn’t the first time Nigerian authorities have had contradicting accounts with locals about attacks. It’s common for police and residents to tell completely different stories about what happened in Nigeria’s hard-hit villages. Experts say corruption, poor intelligence sharing, and underfunded local policing have hampered efforts to tackle the various security crises plaguing the country. But there’s a difference between confusion in the fog of crisis and categorical denial of an attack that witnesses confirm, that left an entire village empty, and that produced a list of 177 names.
The Kaduna church abduction is part of a broader pattern of mass kidnappings that have made international headlines. In November, more than 300 students and teachers were seized from a Catholic school and later released in two groups. These incidents occur in a context where Nigeria is struggling with several armed groups launching attacks across the country, including Boko Haram and ISWAP (which are religiously motivated) and other groups commonly called “bandits” who are primarily motivated by ransom payments.
The Bottom Line
The Nigerian police reversed their denial of the Kaduna church abductions because they had no choice. When Christian leaders produced 177 names—complete with ages, family relationships, and specific details—the lie became unsustainable. But the damage was already done. The initial denial likely gave bandits crucial time to move their hostages beyond easy reach. It sent a message to affected communities that their government cares more about political optics than their safety. And it reinforced international perceptions that Nigeria is either unable or unwilling to protect its Christian citizens from targeted violence.
Benjamin Hundeyin’s explanation that the denial was “intended to prevent unnecessary panic while facts were being confirmed” is insulting to the intelligence of Nigerians who lived through this attack. There was no ambiguity about what happened. Witnesses saw it. The village head confirmed it. A police situation report documented it. Christian organizations verified it. The only “panic” authorities wanted to prevent was the panic of looking incompetent on the international stage.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with its complex security crisis, the Kaduna incident stands as a case study in how not to respond to mass atrocities. Denial doesn’t make problems disappear—it makes them worse. And when 177 families are waiting desperately for their loved ones to come home, the last thing they need is a government more interested in managing narratives than managing rescue operations. Nigeria deserves better. The 177 hostages deserve better. And until authorities start treating human life as more sacred than political reputation, incidents like this will continue to plague the nation.