AfriPulse
January 19, 2026 January 19, 2026
By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the abduction of 163 Christian worshippers during Sunday church services in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, describing it as a glaring example of the “normalisation of insecurity” under President Bola Tinubu’s APC-led federal government.
The incident occurred on Sunday in the Kurmin Wali community, where suspected bandits stormed at least two churches (with some reports mentioning three, including Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) and others) around 11:25 a.m. during ongoing services. Witnesses reported that the attackers arrived in large numbers, blocked exits, and abducted congregants, including men, women, and children, into nearby forests.
According to Enoch Kaura, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kajuru LGA, and Reverend John Hayab, CAN Chairman in northern Nigeria, 172 people were initially taken, but nine escaped shortly afterward, leaving 163 in captivity.
In a press statement signed by it’s National Publicity Secretary Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP extended heartfelt sympathy to the victims’ families and called for immediate comprehensive rescue operations to secure their safe return. The party urged authorities to avoid dramatizing the situation for media optics, as allegedly occurred in previous high-profile cases like the Niger school kidnapping.
“The abduction of 163 Nigerians from their places of worship is a sad reminder of the horrifying security failure under the Bola Tinubu APC-led administration,” the PDP stated. It emphasized that frequent attacks on worshippers, regardless of religion, violate the constitutional right to freedom of worship, adding that no Nigerian should live in fear while attending churches or mosques.
The opposition party renewed its advocacy for state policing, arguing that its implementation could have deterred the bandits from operating with such impunity in the attack, which involved a large group of armed assailants.
The PDP further criticized the federal government for prioritizing “international image laundering campaigns” over addressing the root causes of insecurity, stating that “insecurity cannot be solved by propaganda” and that affected families would continue to voice their pain despite any spending on narrative management abroad.
Kaduna State police has confirmed the attacks and the use of sophisticated weapons, though they are still verifying the exact number of victims.
No group has claimed responsibility, but the raid aligns with ongoing patterns of banditry and ransom-driven kidnappings in northern Nigeria.
As rescue efforts continue and families anxiously await news, the PDP insisted that protecting citizens remains the government’s primary constitutional duty. “The Tinubu administration must demonstrate that Nigerian lives matter through immediate action, not empty promises,” the statement concluded.
Source: Authorityngr.com | Read the Full Story…
