5.2.2026
The 166 Kaduna worshippers who were kidnapped by gunmen during attacks on two churches in Kurmin Wali village last month have regained their freedom, the Christian Association of Nigeria said on Thursday.
According to CAN it was the power of prayer and the military that made it possible for the operations in Kaduna state to succeed but did not go into details on how the churchgoers were freed or when.
The military, the police and the local government in Kaduna did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
CAN, which represents congregations across Nigeria, said gunmen stormed the churches on January 18, seized 177 worshippers and dragged them into nearby forests. Eleven escaped, leaving 166 missing, it said.
On Thursday, the Rev. John Hayab, head of CAN’s northern chapter, said he could confirm that all the churchgoers had now been freed “after all the drama and disagreements”, referring to the police’s initial denial of the kidnapping.
“What we know is that they have been rescued. Nobody asked us to gather any money, and nobody collected a penny from us,” he said. “Of course, the bandits still have their demands, but we did not have any amount to give them.”
CAN’s leader in Kaduna, the Rev. Caleb Ma’aji, also said the churchgoers had been released and that he had just returned from the government house in Kaduna where the governor was set to receive them.
“The stage is set for them to be brought … His Excellency will meet with them. This is a result of the prayers we have offered,” he said. Reuters