Kaduna kidnap: We demand apology from Police commissioner, LG chairman — Community

The Adara Development Association (ADA) of Kajuru Local Government Area, where 177 worshippers were kidnapped on Sunday last week, has demanded a public apology from the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police and the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government for allegedly concealing the truth surrounding the abduction.

This demand was contained in a statement issued by the ADA President, Chief Sebastine A. Barde, and made available to journalists in Kaduna on Wednesday.

The statement said, “With profound anguish and a deep sense of collective humiliation, the Adara community has once again been forced to endure relentless cycles of terrorist-driven insecurity.

“These attacks across our communities have become so frequent and pervasive that they now defy accurate documentation.

“Their consequences have been devastating and consistent, marked by extreme brutality, economic ruin and deepening poverty, alongside severe educational, social, religious and psychological dislocation.

“This grim reality was particularly entrenched under the ill-fated administration of Nasir El-Rufai. Regrettably, the much-anticipated relief and improvement under the present administration are increasingly uncertain and elusive.”

According to the statement, on Sunday, January 18, 2026, Kurmin Wali village in Afogo Ward, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, again came under attack.

“At approximately 10 a.m., worshippers at two congregations of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Churches I and II were surrounded and abducted during their church services.

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“In addition, members of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) who were returning home after worship were also forcibly taken. In total, 177 persons were seized during this coordinated attack.”

The association said 11 people managed to escape, while 166 were confirmed abducted and taken into captivity.

It gave the breakdown as follows: Cherubim and Seraphim I – 50 persons; Cherubim and Seraphim II – 92 persons; and ECWA – 24 persons.

The statement added that immediately after the incident, community members and survivors made urgent efforts to seek help.

“Religious, traditional, political and security authorities were promptly notified, and the public was alerted through all available channels. Shockingly, no swift or effective intervention was undertaken to rescue the abducted victims.”

The ADA said the Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government, Dauda Madaki, and other security officials visited Kurmin Wali on Monday, January 19, 2026.

“However, after receiving direct accounts from residents confirming the mass abduction, they deliberately suppressed the truth and put forward a misleading narrative that no abduction occurred.”

The association accused the officials of publicly dismissing verified reports and describing them as rumours allegedly spread by “conflict entrepreneurs.”

“We therefore challenge both officials to present credible and verifiable evidence to support their denial of this well-documented crime,” the statement said.

It noted that their actions were inconsistent with the public posture of Governor Uba Sani, describing them as overzealous officials who should be reprimanded.

“Accordingly, we demand that the Commissioner of Police and the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government issue a public apology to the Adara people for deliberately suppressing the truth,” the statement added.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE