Nigeria- More than 160 churchgoers kidnapped by armed gangs in twin attacks, Kurmin Wali, 18 January, 2026.

[dotr]

Kaduna state kidnap: More than 160 churchgoers kidnapped in twin Nigeria attacks, clergy say

Police say armed gangs burst into the two churches in Kurmin Wali, Kaduna state, during Sunday service.

www.bbc.com

''The attackers came in numbers and blocked the entrance of the churches and forced the worshippers out into the bush," Rev Joseph Hayab, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria for the country's north, told the AFP news agency on Monday.

Speaking to Reuters, Hayab added: "Information came to me from the elders of the churches that 172 worshippers were abducted while nine escaped."

In November, more than 300 students and teachers were seized from a Catholic school. They were later released in two successive groups. It was among a spate of kidnappings that made international headlines.

Nigeria is facing numerous security challenges - including kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs, an Islamist insurgency in the north-east, separatist violence in the south-east, and a battle between herders and farmers in the centre over access to land and water.''

 

[dotr]

Gunmen abduct more than 150 Christians in mass kidnapping

It comes after Donald Trump launched strikes against Islamic State targets in the north of Nigeria.

news.sky.com

''Police confirmed dozens of people had been abducted by gunmen armed with "sophisticated weapons", but said they were still confirming how many.
A police spokesperson said the area was remote and hard to ‌reach due to bad roads, so reliable information was difficult to obtain.
Troops and other security agencies had been deployed in a bid to track the abductors and rescue the captives, they added.
It's believed that a Catholic church and two churches from the Cherubim and Seraphim denomination were targeted.
No group has yet taken responsibility for the kidnapping''

 

[dotr]

''Sarah Peter is still traumatised by her ordeal

There was a huge plaster on Sarah Peter's head to staunch the bleeding caused by the blow of a gunman's weapon.'

Kaduna kidnapping: woman escapes Nigeria church abduction

Some 160 people are believed to be missing after attackers raided three churches in a Nigerian village on Sunday.

www.bbc.com

''Sarah, not her real name, was in church in a village in northern Nigeria on Sunday morning when attackers raided the compound to abduct the worshippers and take them away on foot.

The 60-year-old was whacked on the skull with a rifle to encourage her to move.

"Blood was all over," she said, her fingers brushing the area where the wound was.

"I suffered," she added, clearly still traumatised by what happened three days earlier.

"They kept dragging me even when I told them I couldn't walk. Then I hid somewhere until I couldn't see them any more. I was so weak I had to crawl back to the village."

Dozens of others were taken away from her branch of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church and two other churches in Kurmin Wali, a village 135km (84 miles) north of the capital, Abuja.

Although 11 people managed to escape, including Sarah, more than 160 people are still unaccounted for, according to the local branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria.''

 

[dotr]

Nigerian bandits who kidnapped 150 churchgoers demand motorbikes in return

The bikes are believed to cost around $1,000 each and help rogue gangs navigate the vast Nigerian forest.

news.sky.com

22 January 2026
''Nigerian bandits who kidnapped more than 150 churchgoers are demanding 17 motorbikes in return.

It comes after attackers raided three different churches in conflict-hit Kaduna state, northwest Nigeria, on Sunday.

They seized 177 people - before 11 managed to escape.

It marks one of the largest mass abductions in recent months for the country - which has been plagued by sectarian violence.

The abductors are now demanding 17 motorcycles - costing roughly $1,000 each - to begin negotiations for their release, local residents told the Associated Press.''

 

[Mr. Nordstrom]

"Nigeria is a transit country for heroin and cocaine destined for Europe and, to a lesser degree, for the United States."

Link

Seems like they are upping their game after the alleged drug boats were drone-struck.