Dozens of worshippers abducted by gunmen in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State have returned home several weeks after their kidnapping, police have confirmed.
The victims were part of a group of 177 people seized last month during coordinated attacks on three churches in the remote village of Kurmin Wali. According to the police, about 80 of the worshippers managed to escape on the day of the abduction but went into hiding in neighbouring communities for nearly two weeks out of fear of being recaptured.
Kaduna State police spokesman Mansur Hassan told the BBC that the escapees only resurfaced after feeling safe enough to return home. Meanwhile, security agencies say efforts are continuing to secure the release of the remaining 86 people still being held captive.
The attack forms part of a broader surge in kidnappings for ransom across several parts of Nigeria. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the abductions.
Police initially denied reports of the incident and only confirmed the kidnappings on January 21, after local residents informed the BBC that 177 worshippers had been taken, with some escaping shortly after the attack.
The official response has drawn criticism from Amnesty International, which accused Nigerian authorities of being in “desperate denial” and called on the government to take urgent and concrete steps to curb the growing wave of abductions, warning that the practice is increasingly becoming the norm in the country.
