Gunmen abduct dozens of worshippers from multiple Nigerian churches using sophisticated weapons

Numerous worshippers from at least two churches in Nigeria were kidnapped during Sunday services by armed gangs, Reuters reported.

While Kaduna state police on Monday reportedly cited conservative figures, saying dozens were being held captive as the investigation remains in its early stages, a senior church leader noted that more than 160 worshippers were abducted by gunmen over the weekend. 

Sunday’s incident, which BBC said targeted both Christians and Muslims, marks the latest mass kidnapping in Nigeria’s long-running streak of religiously fueled attacks. Muslim Fulani militants frequently carry out violence in northern and central parts of Nigeria to bankrupt Christian communities while receiving ransom payments. 

Kaduna state police said gunmen armed with "sophisticated weapons" attacked two churches in the village of Kurmin Wali in Afogo ward at about 11:25 a.m. on Sunday, Reuters reported.

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Reverend John Hayab, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria located in the northern part of the country, told Reuters:

"Information came to me from the elders of the churches that 172 worshipers were abducted while nine escaped," Hayab said.

Early estimates from security agencies tend to be conservative, while community and religious leaders often report higher numbers. In Nigeria, casualty and abduction figures often vary widely in the days following mass kidnappings.

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Police said troops and other security agencies had been deployed to the area, with efforts underway to track the abductors and secure the release of the captives, Reuters reported. 

Nigeria has experienced a dramatic surge in mass attacks by armed gangs, particularly Islamist militants, who often operate from forest enclaves and target villages, schools and places of worship.

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In 2025, Nigeria was named the epicenter of global killings of Christians, according to the Open Doors World Watch List. The report noted that while Muslims are also frequently attacked, Christians have been "disproportionately targeted," with one in five African Christians facing high levels of persecution.

In November, 52 Catholic students, along with several staff members, were kidnapped by gunmen at St. Mary’s School in Nigeria, The Associated Press reported.

In April, the Evangelical Church Winning All, a major church based in West Africa, said it paid the equivalent of $205,000 in ransom to secure the release of roughly 50 members kidnapped in Kaduna, Nigerian lawyer Jabez Musa told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital's Paul Tilsley, Rachel Wolf, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.