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EXCLUSIVE: Kaduna Police Commissioner Visits Abducted Worshippers’ Church, Orders Phones Switched Off As Escaped Victim Narrates Ordeal

SaharaReporters can exclusively report that the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State Muhammad Rabiu, visited one of the churches where armed terrorists abducted worshippers in Kurmin Wali, a remote community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following the deadly attack that has thrown the area into fear and mourning.

Phones Switched Off, Recording Banned During Commissioner’s Visit.
Multiple sources told SaharaReporters that during the visit, the police commissioner, who arrived at the scene with heavily armed security operatives, instructed everyone present to switch off their mobile phones and warned them not to record videos or take photographs throughout the visit.

According to sources, the commissioner also visited the surrounding areas affected by the attack.

The visit followed attacks on communities in southern Kaduna. Meanwhile, the same police commissioner earlier denied that any abduction of worshippers took place.

SaharaReporters obtained a video from the scene showing the commissioner of police surrounded by armed officers as he inspected the church building and interacted with some of the victims.

In the video, one of the victims, seen wearing a yellow jersey, has visible head injuries. The victim reportedly escaped from the terrorists as they were transporting the abducted worshippers into the forest.

During the visit, the commissioner was seen speaking directly to the injured victim inside the church, questioning him in Hausa about how he managed to escape from the abductors and what exactly transpired during the attack.

Escaped Victim Recounts How He Fled With His Child
Narrating his ordeal to the commissioner and his team, the victim explained that the attack happened suddenly while they were in church for worship.

He said, “When we reached the place where they chased people, I was carrying my daughter in my hand. Because we were many, when we reached an area where houses were close to each other and the road was narrow, I managed to escape. I entered one house and locked it. None of them noticed me.”

When the police commissioner asked whether he was inside the church when the attack began, the victim clarified that he was worshipping in another church nearby.
“I was in the second church, ECWA church,” he said.

One of the police investigators standing beside the commissioner then asked the victim to explain what happened from the moment the terrorists arrived at the church premises.

The victim said, “While we were inside the church, we heard people screaming and shouting. When I came outside, I saw bandits standing in front of our church with guns. Immediately, I carried my daughter and wanted to run away. One of the bandits told me that if I tried to run, he would kill me. Instantly, I stopped.”

He continued, “When I stopped, they told us to follow them. As we were moving forward, in front of another church, I saw that they had already captured some worshippers and gathered them in one place.”

Victims Beaten, Mixed With Other Kidnap Victims
According to the victim, after the terrorists assembled all the abducted worshippers and other victims together, they were forced to march into the bush.

“When they gathered all of us, they told us to move forward and enter the bush. When we reached a town where they had already chased people away, they stopped us there. They started beating us. They did not ask us any questions; they just kept beating us. After they were satisfied with the beating, they told us to stand up and continue walking,” he explained.

The victim further revealed that the abductors were not only holding church worshippers but also other kidnapped persons taken from different locations before the church attack.

“As we reached another community, I managed to enter a house and locked it. The people they kidnapped were many; not only worshippers. They also had people they kidnapped before us. From that community, I later managed to escape into the bush and found my way back here,” he said.

Sources told SaharaReporters that the victim appeared weak and visibly traumatized as he spoke, with injuries on his head believed to have been sustained during the attack or while escaping.

Residents of Kurmin Wali expressed anger and frustration over the incident, lamenting over repeated failures of security agencies to protect rural communities in Southern Kaduna, which has suffered frequent attacks by armed groups.

Community members also questioned the decision by the police commissioner to order phones switched off during his visit, describing it as an attempt to prevent documentation of the scene and the condition of victims.

However, many families remain in anguish as scores of worshippers are still being held captive by the terrorists, with no official confirmation yet on rescue efforts or negotiations.
Activists, Village Head Confirm Abductions Took Place

The attack in Kurmin Wali is the latest in a series of violent assaults on churches and rural communities in Kaduna State, raising concerns about worsening insecurity and the safety of worshippers across the state.

Meanwhile, some activists visited the churches where worshippers were reportedly kidnapped, confirming that at least 11 people managed to escape during the attack.

According to the activists, their findings contradicted claims circulating on social media in which the government denied that any abduction took place or insisted that nothing happened.

During the visit, the activists met with one of the village heads, who also confirmed that the abduction did occur and that several members narrowly escaped from the attackers.

The village head explained in detail how some of the escapees were severely beaten by the terrorists before managing to flee, leaving many of them injured.

He stated that the attackers assaulted the victims mercilessly and inflicted serious injuries on them, adding that the community could only account for those who were physically present and had successfully escaped.

“They beat them and injured them badly. We can only confirm those we have seen with our own eyes, those who escaped,” the village head said.

One of the victims who managed to escape removed his clothes to show the activists the marks and scars he sustained from the beating.

The activists observed visible bruises and injuries covering his back, clearly indicating the level of violence he endured at the hands of the attackers.

The activists said their visit and direct interactions with victims and community leaders provided clear evidence that the abduction did take place.

Saharareporters had previously reported that in a daring attack on Sunday, a gang of bandits struck multiple churches in the Kurmin Wali area of Kajuru Local Government, Kaduna State, abducting over 100 worshippers during ongoing services.

The Chairman of 19 Northern States chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. John Hayab, subsequently confirmed the abduction, adding that 172 worshippers were abducted of which some returned leaving 163 worshippers in captivity.

Shortly after the report, the Kaduna State government countered the claims by the CAN, adding that no Christian worshippers were kidnapped during Sunday services in three churches in the Kajuru local government area.

SaharaReporters

Phones Switched Off, Recording Banned During Commissioner’s Visit.

But they claim it was a lie, Christians don suffer for Muslims hand....what else can I say my body don weak.

Kaduna Police Commissioner Knows About Kidnapped Churchgoers But Acting On His Paymasters' Script To Keep His Job — Prof Odinkalu
January 21, 2026
NEWS

A former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu, has accused the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, of deliberately suppressing the truth about the alleged abduction of churchgoers in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.

Odinkalu made the allegation in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, where he shared videos showing a team of police led by the CP visiting the affected community following reports of the mass abduction.

In the post, the human rights lawyer questioned the credibility of the police denial of the incident, insisting that the Nigeria Police Force was fully aware of what transpired but was acting under external influence.

"The Nigeria Police alone know whose and what script they are acting out in claiming to deny the mass abduction last Sunday of the Kajuru 177,” Odinkalu wrote.

According to him, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police had personally visited the community alongside other security personnel, inspected the affected churches, and engaged directly with survivors of the alleged attack.

"Kaduna State CP, Muhammad Rabiu, has been to the community with his folks. He has seen the affected places of worship and personally spoken to survivors,” Odinkalu stated.

He, however, suggested that the police chief was unwilling to publicly confirm the incident due to fear of repercussions from powerful interests outside the state.

"I suspect the CP may fear that if he says truthfully what he saw, his paymasters in Abuja who have paid $9 billion elsewhere to buy a convenient narrative, will come for his job,” Odinkalu added.

The comments come amid growing controversy over conflicting accounts surrounding the reported kidnapping of worshippers in Kajuru, a local government area that has previously experienced violent attacks and mass abductions.

Previously, SaharaReporters noted that during a daring attack on Sunday, a gang of bandits struck multiple churches in the Kurmin Wali area of Kajuru Local Government, Kaduna State, abducting over 100 worshippers during ongoing services.

A source with family members among the victims told SaharaReporters that the assailants stormed the churches, forcibly taking congregants.

Reports indicate that around 10 people considered vulnerable were released by the attackers.

While the report went round, the Nigerian police denied that such an attack ever happened. However, after public outcry, it made a U-turn, admitting that there was such a kidnap incident.

Nigerians expressed disappointment at the security agencies for trying to sweep such kidnap case under the carpet.

Kaduna has faced repeated cases of deadly attacks by bandits.

For instance, on January 3, SaharaReporters reported that bandits had killed four members of a family during a deadly overnight attack in Kachia town, Southern Kaduna.

Multiple sources told SaharaReporters that the attack occurred near the newly established Federal University of Applied Science, the headquarters of Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

A member of the affected family confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters, identifying the victims as Mr. Bitrus Bahago, his wife, Mrs. Justina Bitrus Bahago, their son, Ibrahim Bitrus Bahago, and another relative, Adam Waziri.

“They are all four killed by the bandits,” the family source said.

Odinkalu’s remarks have further intensified calls for an independent investigation into the alleged abduction and for security agencies to provide a clear and truthful account of events to the public.

SaharaReporters

Odinkalu made the allegation in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, where he shared videos showing a team of police led by the CP visiting the affected community following reports of the mass abduction.

Those three air force jets that flew from Abuja to Benin Republic Within 20 mins are nowhere to be found,, govt should keep fooling itself until USA will take decisive action
Bwala will come out to blame IPOB

Why asking a distraughted community people to switch off phones when you earlier denied their plea for help in background of the kidnappings by the Islamic jihadists? What a wicked soul.

Kaduna Abduction: How I Was Stopped From Fact-Finding Mission - Journalist


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILLkoWvRNJw?si=bvltTurc-hda_Nfe

Front page material!

The government and the police commissioner are part of the Jihadist



The earlier we tell ourselves the truth the better...




They denied so that the Jihadist will flee without being pursued...




I implore the defense minister to interrogate the chairman and the police commissioner...


These are recruited bandits/ Jihadist

You can only foool Yarimo and his brother Helinues, but not Nigerians all the time

Fear of incoming strikes

Proverb 28: 13
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.


This is why Nigeria is not prospering. We cover evil too much. Instead of striving for how the truth will always be heard.

After all the denials from same police


Ok

He is am Muslim am not surprise. In a sine country he would have been removed and jail. If he can deny that no one was kidnapped, for sure his type will release arrested bandit of terrorist.

He is am Muslim am not surprise. In a sine country he would have been removed and jail. If he can deny that no one was kidnapped, for sure his type will release arrested bandit or terrorist.

Video wey dey with Onitsha man Oga Mekus the screw merchant...
No need to hide anything, he get the videos already 😂😂😂

The only thing Islam has brought to Nigeria is terrorism.

The only thing Islam has brought to Nigeria is terrorism. Nothing else profitable.

floss:
You can only foool Yarimo and his brother Helinues, but not Nigerians all the time

And their latest recruit, Burob

Tinubu must be disgraced out of that grab and snatch mandate. He is a wicked creature who mean no good for Nigerians.
You see those data boys and Lagos kitchen cabinet of the roasted electricity fraud are worse than anything one can ever imagine. Extremely terrible set of creatures

It's high time the Christians in the Northern region start standing and defend themselves against this terrorists they branded as bandits.

If they can't be protected by the government, they should arrange weapons, train and fortify themselves against the marauders. Cos I don't think this government can help this insecurities issue ravaging the country now.

Etimemy:
The only thing Islam has brought to Nigeria is terrorism. Nothing else profitable.

Death, sorrows, despair, kidnapping, child abuse, etc.

This is so painful, imagine asking victims to off their phones so as not to record the findings. Imagine bandits operated from one church to another, from one community to another without hindrance, matching hundreds of humans into the bush still no security presence. Imagine in assaults, the inhumane treatments meted on these by these animals in human forms. God let your will be done on earth

And the CHRISTIAN GENOCIDE continues.

Shehu Sani the unfortunate senator from Kaduna will not comment on this evil happening in his state. He won't even call out those using his people to do suya


Imagine the police denied this before. Fr9mnthat account, the terrorists have abducted people from the first ECWA church, but that was not in the media.
The Police denying this is a proof that the govt of the day is sympathetic to these terrorist.

Nnamdi Kanu once said " If you want to get to Fulani terrorist, you will pass through the Nigerian security Forces".

Hmmm. Phones switched off. It’s okay o

J

floss:
You can only foool Yarimo and his brother Helinues, but not Nigerians all the time

I am telling you, those 2 brothers will still come here and defend this and tell you that there was no kidnapping

My own is as they allowed Muslim-Muslim ticket....if eventually Christians-Christian ticket plays out make nobody talk pim.......na yorubas dey cause this nonsense

The terrorists paid a condolence visit

The police commissioner should be removed for lying to the public.