• Obi: Swift police action in Kano murder shows Nigeria can defeat crime
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the reported abduction of 163 worshippers during a Sunday church service in Kajuru Local Council of Kaduna State as a grave indictment of the security architecture of the Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

However, the Kaduna State Government and the police debunked the kidnap report, insisting that no one was abducted.

On his part, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, described the murder of a housewife and her six children as a devastating tragedy, saying the incident left the nation in deep sorrow, even as he commended the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) for its swift response in apprehending the suspects.

In a statement yesterday by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the opposition party expressed deep sympathy to the families of the victims, noting that the abduction plunged many households into agony and uncertainty.

According to the PDP, the kidnapping of such a large number of worshippers from their place of worship starkly illustrates what it termed the normalisation of insecurity in the country, which it blamed on a “horrifying security failure” under the present administration.

The party cited the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kajuru, who was quoted in several media reports as saying that the attack was carried out by bandits who arrived in large numbers while the worshippers were in the middle of the church service. He disclosed that 172 persons were initially abducted, but that nine escaped shortly after the attack.

The Commissioner of Police (CP) for Kaduna, Muhammad Rabiu, described the reported kidnap as a mere falsehood being peddled by conflict entrepreneurs who want to cause chaos in Kaduna.

Addressing reporters after the State Security Council meeting at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House yesterday, the CP challenged anyone to list the names of the kidnapped victims and other particulars.

Rabiu warned rumour-mongers to desist from trying to derail the prevailing peace in Kaduna, threatening that the full wrath of the law would be visited on such merchants of falsehood.

Speaking also, the Chairman of Kajuru Local Council, Dauda Madaki, said that when he heard the rumour of the attack, he mobilised the police and other security forces to the area, Kurmin Wali, but found out that there was no attack.

“We visited the church where the so-called kidnapping took place. There was no evidence of an attack. I asked the village head, Mai Dan Zaria, and he said that there was no such attack”, he explained.

“I also called the youth leader of the area, Bernard Bona, who was interviewed by the pressmen that accompanied me, and he said that no such thing happened. So, I challenge anyone to name the people that were kidnapped and I have been waiting for this list and no one has come forward with a name.”

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shauibu (SAN), said the CAN chairman and other religious leaders interacted with the people of the area and found out that what was pushed out to the public sphere was completely false.

In a statement, yesterday, Obi acknowledged the grief provoked by the Kano killings, saying: “The horrifying murder of a housewife and her six children remains a deep and painful sorrow in our hearts as a nation.

“I commend the Nigerian Police for their swift and decisive action in apprehending the perpetrators of this heinous crime. If we continue to witness firm, consistent, and intelligence-driven responses from our security institutions, we will undoubtedly see a meaningful reduction in crime across our communities.”

The 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate also said sustained professionalism and results-oriented policing would help rebuild public trust and demonstrate that Nigeria’s security challenges were not beyond resolution.