Nigerian officials said that 163 worshippers were kidnapped on Sunday when heavily armed bandits raided at least two churches during services.
The abductions reportedly occurred in a rural Christian community in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna state in north-central Nigeria.
Sunday’s attack “was carried out by bandits who arrived in large numbers, while the worshippers were in the middle of the service,” Rev. Joseph Hayab, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the country’s north, told media outlets on Monday. “172 people were initially abducted, but nine of them escaped immediately after the attack.”
Local authorities were still investigating the incident and confirming the number of worshippers kidnapped. No group has claimed responsibility.
This is the latest in a series of highly publicized kidnappings. In November 2025, armed assailants raided the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Pairi, Niger state. Some 303 children and 12 teachers were abducted in the raid, though the figure was later lowered. All the students either escaped, were rescued by security forces, or were released before Christmas. International Christian Concern (ICC) President Shawn Wright issued a call to action for U.S. and Nigerian leaders after the kidnapping.
“I am deeply troubled by the news of the abduction of more than 160 worshippers in Nigeria,” Wright said. “This is a cruel act against innocent people gathered to worship. I ask people around the world to join me in praying for the safe return of those taken, for comfort for their families, and for peace to replace this violence. We must stand together in compassion and hope.”
Criminal elements, bandits, and radical Islamic groups like Boko Haram often target Christian communities in rural areas that have scant security. In April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in the town of Chibok in Borno state, Nigeria.
“These frequent attacks on worshippers in their places of worship, irrespective of religion, represent the inability of this government to protect the constitutionally enshrined right to freedom of worship,” said Ini Ememobong, national publicity secretary at People’s Democratic Party Head Office, which has been critical of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Trump administration named Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for not protecting Christians and ordered the bombing of Islamic State terrorists. Nigerian officials have not had an effective response to the violence or protected vulnerable communities, such as in southern Kaduna state, where Muslim extremists have attacked Christians.
“The protection of citizens is the government’s primary constitutional responsibility. Every Nigerian deserves to worship in safety,” Ememobong said. “The Tinubu administration must demonstrate that Nigerian lives matter through immediate action, not empty promises. The families of the 163 kidnap victims anxiously await their return.”
Boko Haram is one of several militant groups working in Nigeria with ties to radical Islam. The terrorist group has highly targeted Christians, but also the government, and Muslims who haven’t joined their cause. After Boko Haram declared allegiance to the Islamic State in 2015, part of the group splintered a year later into a separate terrorist group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Radical Fulani militants and herders also kill and target Christian farmers.
ICC has served persecuted Christians in Nigeria for decades and documented countless attacks through news articles and special reports. To help persecuted believers, ICC has launched aid projects, such as communal farms and Christian schools in Nigeria, and supported legislation on Capitol Hill that has pressured Nigerian officials. Nigeria has also been featured in ICC’s annual Global Persecution Index as one of the worst places to be a believer in Christ.
