The identities of the 177 persons kidnapped from ECWA Church and Cherubim and Seraphim Churches 1 and 2 at Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Sunday have been revealed.

The list paints a harrowing picture of entire families taken away from their homes and places of worship, leaving the community traumatised and virtually empty of able-bodied residents.

The raid came barely a week after the same community paid N2.6 million ransom to secure the release of 20 residents previously abducted, Vanguard reliably gathered.

While government and security operatives denied the incident, a Police situation report obtained by Vanguard confirmed the attack occurred during church services.

The report stated that information was received at about 5:45pm, on Sunday, indicating that the assailants struck around 11:25am, firing sporadically and forcing worshippers to flee into the surrounding forest.

The situation report read: “Message received from DPO Kajuru indicates that on 18/01/2026 at about 1745hrs an information was received that same date at about 1125hrs, unspecified numbers of bandits armed with sophisticated weapons attacked ECWA church and Cherubim Serafim Church 2 at Kurmin Wali in Kajuru lga, The communities are yet to ascertain the number of worshipers kidnapped to unknown destination, the village is situated in a remote forest area, the DPO mobilized other sister security agencies and the military to the scene which cannot be accessed immediately due to bad road, concerted effort in collaboration with all stakeholders has been intensified to rescue the victims and possibly arrest the perpetrators, investigation has commenced”.

As of yesterday, the village was deserted. Those who escaped had fled to nearby communities to stay with relatives and friends.

Some who sustained injuries during the escape were reportedly still in shock, while poor network coverage and lost phones made it difficult to reach them for comment.

Analysis of the 177 victims

Analysis of the 177 names obtained by Vanguard revealed that entire households were abducted. Families such as the Jonathan household had 12 members kidnapped; the Amos family 13; Markus/Makudi 10; Ishaya and Danisa seven each; Bawa six, Danjuma and Musa five each.

Other families saw four, three, or two members taken away. The oldest victim is 71-year-old Augustina Matthew, while the youngest, Salvation Idris, is a child of six.

Other children include Likita Amos, 6; Jumota Idris, 7; Tessy Amos, 8; Yahaya Joshua, 9; and several 10-year-olds, including Sussana Idris, Synthah Amos, Hezibah and Hezikaiah Jonathan.

The denial by government officials has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups. Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria, CSW-N which insisted that the abduction occurred and accused security agents of obstructing independent verification.

CSW-N Research and Press Officer Reuben Buhari said: “Thirty minutes after the incident, as the team was about to enter Kurmin Wali, CSW-N encountered a military convoy, including the chairman of Kajuru Local Government, which was leaving the community.

“They later refused to allow CSW-N team entry, despite repeated pleas and after the team showed full identification.

“The military officer who stopped the CSW-N said there was a standing order not to allow us in. Consequently, our team turned and was escorted to the main road, back to Kaduna.”

CSW-N added that the attackers arrived on motorcycles and on foot, split into three groups, and simultaneously targeted the churches.

“Elderly women and young children were later released, while 11 reportedly escaped, leaving 167 in captivity at the time of the organisation’s engagement with community sources,’’ the group stated.

CAN Chairman speaks

The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Rev. Dr. Joseph Hayab, accused security agents of enabling the bandits to escape with large number of victims.

He said: “If the security agents had gone after the bandits, they would have prevented them from taking the victims to where they are now hiding. Instead, the security agents only helped the bandits move the victims to a place where they could conceal them and make their demands.

“Had they pursued the attackers immediately, instead of arguing over whether anyone had, indeed, been kidnapped, they would have chased them away, whether they were right or wrong.”

International condemnation pours in

In his reaction, US lawmaker, Rep. Riley Moore, described the abduction as “horrific news” and urged the Nigerian government to ensure swift and safe return of the victims.

He tweeted: “Our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing an existential threat at the hands of the Fulani militants. More must be done to protect them, and I urge the Nigerian government to ensure the swift and safe return of all those who were captured.”

Another unfortunate incident — Peter Obi

Similarly, former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, also raised alarm over the incident, describing it as “unacceptable” and highlighting the recurring pattern of mass abductions across Nigeria.

He said: “I have just been informed that yet again, at the weekend, about 172 worshippers were abducted from churches in Kaduna. This is another unfortunate consequence of a nation where insecurity has been allowed to grow unchecked and unchallenged.

“Even with official denials, we must ask ourselves hard questions, can we continue waking up to news of mass abductions, disputed figures, and denials while citizens live in fear?”

Obi stressed that authorities must act swiftly to rescue the victims and prevent further occurrences, adding that “Nigeria deserves a government that treats human life as sacred. The time to stop this insecurity is now.”

Recall that the state government, state police command and chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area on Monday dismissed reports of mass abduction in the state, challenging those confirming the attack to release the names of those abducted.

Bandits kidnap nursing mother, two others at Kujama before Kajuru’s mass abduction, demand N150m ransom

Prior to the mass abduction, the bandits had earlier on Sunday morning, swooped on Kujama community in Southern Kaduna and took away a nursing mother with her three-month-old baby.

But, they inexplicably left behind the toddler and disappeared with her mother, despite pleas by frightened and grieving neighbours on the bandits to spare the woman because of her baby.

A man in Kujama, whose sister was also taken away with her nine-year-old son, told Vanguard in Abuja yesterday that the kidnappers have demanded the immediate payment of N50 million as a condition to release the three persons they took away that morning.

The man, who gave his name as Anthony Yisa, told Vanguard that the bandits warned that the family of the nursing mother must pay them N50 million as a condition to free her to reunite with her suckling infant or be killed with immediate effect.

Yisa also told our correspondent that the bandits were asking for N100 million ransom for another woman, whose name was given as Alice Bitrus, and her son, David, who they abducted in the Sunday dawn raid in Kujama, a stone’s throw from Kajuru, all in Kaduna State.

Apart from abducting the two mothers and a son, the kidnappers also inflicted serious injuries on the husbands of the women who tried to prevent them from making away with their spouses.

The witness told Vanguard that the knife injuries inflicted on the two men were severe and that none of them might be able to use his hands again due to deep cuts inflicted on them by the attackers.

It was learned that while the kidnappers were asking the relatives of the victims in their custody to urgently make the N150 million ransom payment to them, they also warned them not to report their discussions with them (bandits) to any law enforcement agency or risk being slaughtered.

“We are afraid for the lives of our family members,” Yisa said yesterday amid sobs, wondering where they would get N150 million to pay the kidnappers and free their loved ones.

“This thing happened in the midnight of Saturday, breaking into Sunday in my village of Kujama, a stone’s throw from Kajuru. A woman, Alice Bitrus, was accompanied by her son, David, who was about ten years old.

“But the one that breaks everyone’s heart is the nursing mother whose three-year-old baby was thrown away as they snatched the mother and disappeared into the bush.

“As the husband tried to stop them from breaking into the house, they used a machete to slice his hands into pieces. It is doubtful if the man would recover from the wounds and live.

“The trouble we have is that the kidnappers who are holding on to the three persons, two mothers and a boy, are warning the family not to disclose anything to the security agencies or risk having them killed brutally,” Yisa lamented yesterday.

When contacted on phone, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of Kaduna police command, Mr Mansur Hassan, said he would investigate and revert.

41. Zahaya Joshua

42. Nabilah Makudi

43. Hajara Makudi

44. Rebecca Hosea

45. Ahmad Ahmad

46. Liyu Ezekiel

47. Vivian Ezekiel

48. Goodluck Ezekiel

49. Beauty Ezekiel

50. Matina Maiyashi

51. Bridget Maiyashi

52. Vivian Linus

53. Mary Amos

54. Hamid Amos

55. Patricia Amos

56. Hamisu Amos

57. Luka Amos

58. Tacy Amos

59. Cynthia Amos (guessed)

60. Mercy Isaac

61. Augustine Makudi

62. Matthew Samaila

63. Adam Musa

64. Malika Sule

65. Abu Ahmad

66. Hussein Lucky (guessed)

67. Akinyi Sadiu

68. Dangata Amos

69. Helen Jonathan

70. Asinwa Jonathan

71. Faith Joseph

72. Gloria Kennet

73. Happiness Danisa

74. Fidelis Jacob

75. Tobias Markus

76. Istu Paul

77. Hassana Paul

78. Charity Chindo

79. Christiana Danisa

80. Everest Danima

81. Thomas Philip

82. Catrina Danbosi

83. Halima Hassan

84. Hassan Lukumi

85. Mary Sadiu

86. Franca John

87. Henry Danbiyi

88. Genesis Lawal

89. Ayuba Lawal

90. Solomon Ayuba

91. Theophilus Danlami (guessed)

92. Charles Sambo

93. Rahila Charles

94. Gambo Danisa

95. Talent Danisa

96. Nehemiah Danjuma

97. Maijima Shekarau

98. Matina Maijima

99. Laraba Maijima

100. Musa Danjuma

101. Ishaya Danima

102. Lulu Danisa

103. Clement Ahmad

104. Destiny Ahmad

105. Nehemiah Ishaya

106. Simon Ishaya

107. Nasty Muku

108. Helena Joseph

109. Joseph Bawa

110. Sarah Joseph

111. Bulus Mariya

112. Musa Samaila

113. Bulus Bawa

114. Halima Bawa

115. Beture Hosea

116. Sati Hosea

117. Titus John

118. Dogara Bawa

119. Lories Bawa

120. Adamu Aminu

121. Ezekiel Adamu

122. Tenah Markus

123. Tina Danbosi

124. Patricio Bawa

125. Janet Tsuda

126. Amina Danjuma

127. Sandra Danbosi

128. Bridget Sunday

129. Saphat Innocent (guessed)

130. Alex Sunday

131. Beauty Peter

132. Samisa Paul

133. Joy Joseph

134. Methole Johanna

135. Genesis Johanna

136. Maria Johanna

137. Merozdu Adonu

138. Karimi Jangbe

139. Sunday Martela

140. Santina Hershinga

141. Keuna Michael

142. Hassan Bulus

143. Marzeta Maisoni

144. Mainwa Dominic

145. Godwin Karimi

146. Amos Akijo

147. Nathan Amos

148. Joseph Chindo

149. Lydia Godwin

150. Hamna Maiyangi

151. Toletu Maiyangi

152. Esther Godday

153. Godswill Godday

154. Godlive Samson

155. Goodluck Aliga

156. Madaki Tabawa

157. Tabawa Abba

158. Tabawa Iyamye

159. Samuel Amos

160. Daniel Amos

161. Deborah Amos

162. Ruth Amos

163. Emmanuel Danjuma

164. Joshua Danjuma

165. Rejoice Danisa

166. Blessing Danisa

167. Ibrahim Lawal

168. Zainab Lawal

169. Sadiq Ahmad

170. Aisha Ahmad

171. Yakubu Musa

172. Suleiman Musa

173. Rahama Musa

174. Daniel Jonathan

175. Samuel Jonathan

176. Peter Jonathan

177. Grace Jonathan

(Vanguard, but headline rejigged)

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