Kaduna mass abduction: How I escaped from our attackers – Victim

Kaduna map

It was supposed to be another quiet Sunday of worship in Kurmin Wali, a sleepy agrarian community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Instead, January 18, 2026 has become a date etched in grief, fear and unanswered questions, as gunmen suspected to be bandits stormed the village and abducted scores of worshippers during church services, Senior Correspondent Abdulgafar Alabelewe reports.

The attackers struck in broad daylight, moving from one church to another and turning sacred spaces into scenes of terror. By the time the dust settled, community leaders and church officials said 177 worshippers had been forcibly taken into the surrounding forests, leaving behind traumatised families and an entire village in shock.

Conflicting accounts initially followed the incident, with security sources dismissing reports of a mass abduction. But survivors’ testimonies, escapees’ stories and a growing list of missing persons painted a grim picture that could no longer be ignored.

One of those who lived to tell the tale is Mr. Joseph Bawa. Frail, soft-spoken and visibly shaken, Bawa was among the abducted worshippers who narrowly escaped death while being marched into the bush by the gunmen.

“It was on the 18th of January. We were in church around 9 am when the kidnappers came,” he recalled.

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“They entered the church, scattered everything and ordered us to lie down.

“They collected our phones, money and whatever they could find.”

According to him, the attackers did not stop at one church. After robbing worshippers, they herded them to another church where more people were already lying face-down on the ground, terrified and helpless.

“They robbed everyone again and then forced all of us into the bush,” Bawa said.