The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of 166 worshippers abducted by bandits at Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Council of Kaduna State.
 
It urged security agencies and relevant authorities to strengthen coordination, improve verification processes, and ensure that credible reports from communities are treated with the seriousness they deserve.
 
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, described as deeply troubling, the initial public dismissal of the abduction by the police without thorough verification.
 
He observed that the police action generated confusion, heightened fear, and unfairly questioned the credibility of nearly 170 worshippers, their families, clergy, and eyewitnesses who raised the alarm. 
   
Okoh noted that in situations of this gravity, public communication must not appear dismissive of the suffering or fears of affected citizens, adding that victims must be protected, genuine distress calls respected, and misinformation, whether dismissive or sensational, avoided.
 
Okoh acknowledged the subsequent confirmation of the incident and commended the Inspector-General of Police for directing the deployment of operational and intelligence assets to the affected area. 
 
The CAN President stated that these steps are necessary and must be accompanied by a more disciplined, people-focused approach to crisis communication going forward.
 
Okoh urged government at all levels to confront the persistent insecurity across the country with renewed urgency, as repeated incidents continue to endanger lives, disrupt worship, and erode public confidence.

CHAIRMAN of the CAN in the northern region, Joseph Hayab, also flayed security agencies over their “denial” of the abduction. Hayab spoke hours after the NPF confirmed the incident.
 
Reports about the abduction made headlines on Sunday, when over 100 people were said to have been kidnapped in the attack. The Kaduna State government and security agencies had initially said the incident did not happen.

BUT yesterday, the NPF confirmed the abduction of over 100 Christian worshippers at Kurmin Wali in Kajuru Local Council of Kaduna State. The Force Public Relations Officer (PRO), CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement, explained that it was aware of the “deep concern generated by reports of an abduction incident at Kurmin Wali” and acknowledged the fear such reports had caused residents and the public.

The statement added: “Initial uncertainty followed a meeting of the Kaduna State Security Council, convened by the governor, Uba Sani, where some individuals from the affected local government area disputed the report, which had earlier been confirmed by the police, and described it as false.”
 
Hundeyin further explained that comments made earlier by the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Command, were misunderstood, stressing that the remarks were not a denial of the incident, but a measured response pending confirmation of details from the field, including the identities and number of those affected.
 
Subsequent checks by operational units and intelligence sources, he said, have now confirmed that the incident did occur.With the confirmation, the police spokesman stated that coordinated security operations had been activated in collaboration with other agencies, aimed at rescuing the victims and restoring calm.
 
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, according to the statement, had ordered the deployment of “critical operational and intelligence assets to Kajuru and surrounding communities,” including tactical units, intensified patrols and targeted search-and-rescue operations to rescue the victims.
 
He appealed to the public and the media to exercise restraint, urging them to rely on official communications for verified information and avoid speculation that could undermine ongoing operations.
ON their part, the Adara people have decried the resurgence of terrorist attacks in Kajuru communities. 
 
President of Adara Development Association (ADA), Sebastine Barde, said with anguish and a sense of collective humiliation, the Adara community has once again been forced to endure relentless cycles of insecurity. 
 
Barde pointed out in a statement yesterday that the consequences of the terrorist attack and kidnapping “have been devastating and consistent, marked by extreme brutality, economic ruin, and deepening poverty, alongside severe educational, social, religious, and psychological dislocation.”