Nigeria: 177 Christians kidnapped

Image: Fides

Source: Fides

Nigerian authorities have confirmed the mass kidnapping of nearly 200 faithful from several churches on Sunday, January 18, in Kurmin Wali, in the Local Government Area of Kajuru in the State of Kaduna.

After initially denying the incident vehemently, federal police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin admitted that the initial denial by Kaduna State authorities was aimed at "avoiding unnecessary panic while the facts were being verified."

"These statements, which have since been widely misunderstood, did not constitute a denial of the incident, but rather a considered response pending confirmation of the details on the ground, including the identities and number of those involved," the police spokesman added. "Subsequent checks by law enforcement and intelligence sources have confirmed that the incident did indeed occur."

As Archbishop of Kaduna, Mgr Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso told Fides on 20 January according to his information, 176 faithful from two churches of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church (an African Indigenous Church - AIC) were abducted on Sunday, January 18. No Catholics were among the abducted Christians. The mass abduction, the Archbishop said, took place in very remote villages, and information from these areas is very difficult to verify.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the ecumenical organization that brings together Christian denominations including the Catholic Church, which had disseminated the news of the kidnapping, has meanwhile published the names of the 177 people abducted (one more than Archbishop Ndagoso stated).