Kaduna Horror: Families of 177 Worshippers Kidnapped From Churches Finally Emerge

The identities of the 177 worshippers abducted from ECWA Church and Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have been made public, revealing the devastating scale of the attack.
An analysis of the list obtained by Vanguard shows that entire families were dragged away from their homes and places of worship, leaving the agrarian community traumatised and almost deserted.
The mass abduction came barely a week after residents reportedly paid ₦2.6 million ransom to secure the release of 20 earlier victims from the same area, raising fresh fears about worsening insecurity.
Although state authorities and some security agencies initially denied the incident, a police situation report later confirmed that the attack occurred during Sunday church services.
According to the report, bandits armed with sophisticated weapons stormed ECWA Church and Cherubim and Seraphim Church at about 11:25am, abducting worshippers to unknown locations in the forest.
It read in part:
“Unspecified numbers of bandits armed with sophisticated weapons attacked ECWA Church and Cherubim Serafim Church 2 at Kurmin Wali in Kajuru LGA. The DPO mobilised sister agencies and the military, but access to the area was difficult due to bad roads. Efforts to rescue the victims and arrest the perpetrators have been intensified.”
By Monday, Kurmin Wali was virtually deserted as survivors fled to neighbouring communities for safety, many injured and still in shock, while poor network coverage made communication difficult.
A breakdown of the list showed devastating losses for several households, including:
Jonathan family – 12 members
Amos family – 13 members
Markus/Makudi family – 10 members
Ishaya family – 7 members
Danisa family – 7 members
Bawa family – 6 members
The oldest victim is 71-year-old Augustina Matthew, while the youngest is six-year-old Salvation Idris, alongside many other children swept away in the raid.
The release of the names has deepened public outrage and renewed calls for urgent action to halt the wave of church attacks and mass kidnappings in Kaduna State.