Chronicle of a mass kidnapping: The day Nigeria’s Kurmin Wali changed

Al JazeeraCenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by Ahmed IdrisJanuary 30, 2026 at 09:59 AM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

On January 18, 2026, gunmen, locally known as bandits, kidnapped 177 people from the village of Kurmin Wali in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The armed men stormed the village on a Sunday morning, disrupting church services and going house to house, forcing residents into the forest. While 11 people escaped, a quarter of the village's population remains captive. Initially, state officials denied the mass kidnapping, but the national police later confirmed the attack. The motive for the kidnapping is not explicitly stated, but the event has caused widespread fear and displacement, with many residents now leaving Kurmin Wali permanently.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Benjamin Hund 40% Kaduna State 50% Nigeria ×270% Kurmin Wali ×380%

Keywords

mass kidnapping 90% kurmin wali 80% kaduna state 70% gunmen 70% abduction 60% bandits 60% village attack 60% nigeria 50% ak47 rifles 40% internal displacement 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.80

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Kurmin Wali

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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mass kidnapping kurmin wali kaduna state gunmen abduction bandits village attack nigeria ak47 rifles internal displacement

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