Church Leaders Say Over 160 Were Kidnapped in Nigeria, but Officials Deny It

Christian groups said gunmen abducted congregants during Sunday services at three churches, but security and government officials dismissed the reports as fear-mongering.Jan. 20, 2026, 7:48 a.m. ETChurch leaders in northern Nigeria said at least 163 members of evangelical congregations were kidnapped after gunmen burst into Sunday morning services in Kaduna State, but government and security officials are disputing the claims.According to two leaders of Christian groups in the region, bandits arrived by motorcycle and stormed 9 a.m. services at three churches in the community of Kurmin Wali, kidnapping scores of people.Members of the groups sent representatives to Kurmin Wali to investigate after hearing about kidnappings on Sunday, but the representatives were turned away by a convoy of military and local government vehicles blocking the road, according to the Rev. John Joseph Hayab, the vice chairman of the Christian Association of Northern Nigeria, and Reuben Buhari, a spokesman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria.Mr. Buhari said that his group later spoke by phone to church members who described bandits rounding up congregants and forcing them into the bush. He said that the gunmen later released older women and young children and that another 11 people escaped.But on Monday, local and security officials emerged from a meeting at Kaduna State government offices and told reporters that they had investigated the kidnapping claims and found them to be false.The officials dismissed the reports of kidnappings as fear-mongering.Nigeria has been plagued by a security crisis in recent years that often plays out in rural areas where people live hand-to-mouth. Security has become a highly politicized issue in certain parts of the country amid growing disputes over whether Christians are being attacked for their faith.Nigerians of all faiths have suffered, and there is no clear evidence that Christians are attacked more frequently than Muslims, the other main religious group in the country. On Christmas Day, the U.S. launched missile strikes on northwestern Nigeria to fight what President Trump has called a “Christian genocide” led by Islamist terrorists.Dauda Madaki, the chairman of the regional government in the area, said that he had sent police and other security forces to Kurmin Wali but that they had found “no evidence of the attack.” He said two village officials from Kurmin Wali had also disputed the incident. Those officials could not be reached for comment.Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu, the police commissioner in Kaduna State, also denied the kidnapping and challenged anyone to list the names of the kidnapped victims and other particulars.Members of Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria, one of the groups that raised the alarm about the recent kidnappings, showed The New York Times a preliminary list of names that they said they would release to the public after they had finalized it and alerted family members.Kurmin Wali has been a hot spot for attacks in recent months, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.Less than two weeks ago, the group said, 21 residents of the village were abducted and freed in exchange for a ransom totaling about $5,000. Many nearby residents have abandoned their homes for safer areas because of a flurry of kidnappings in recent years, the group said.Nigeria’s military stepped up security in some parts of the country after militants stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, in the northwest, in November. Twelve staff members and 253 children were abducted, although some were released. Schools in some parts of Nigeria that had been shut for weeks afterward reopened this month.The Rev. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu, a leader of Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria, applauded the recent military buildup in some parts of northern Nigeria but said more must be done to stop kidnappers.“With each abduction, locals become increasingly impoverished and sink deeper into debt as they continue to pay ransoms,” he said in a statement.SKIP Site IndexNewsHome PageU.S.WorldPoliticsNew YorkEducationSportsBusinessTechScienceWeatherThe Great ReadObituariesHeadwayVisual InvestigationsThe MagazineArtsBook ReviewBest Sellers Book ListDanceMoviesMusicPop CultureTelevisionTheaterVisual ArtsLifestyleHealthWellFoodRestaurant ReviewsLoveTravelStyleFashionReal EstateT MagazineOpinionToday's OpinionColumnistsEditorialsGuest EssaysOp-DocsLettersSunday OpinionOpinion VideoOpinion AudioMoreAudioGamesCookingWirecutterThe AthleticJobsVideoGraphicsTrendingLive EventsCorrectionsReader CenterTimesMachineThe Learning NetworkSchool of The NYTinEducationAccountSubscribeManage My AccountHome DeliveryGift SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsGift ArticlesEmail NewslettersNYT LicensingReplica EditionTimes Store