Newsworth Media Company | January 22, 2026
Editorial: On Sunday, 18 January 2026, heavily armed bandits stormed three churches in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru LGA, Kaduna State, and forced 177 worshippers into the forest. For 48 hours, the state’s official narrative dismissed the attack as “rumour,” leaving families in terror while officials labelled the reports “falsehood.” It was only after on‑the‑ground journalists and survivors supplied names and testimonies that the Nigerian Police finally acknowledged the abduction and launched a rescue operation.
The episode revives painful memories of Nigeria’s past security failures and raises urgent questions about why a government would choose silence over lives.
The timeline of denial and confirmation reads like a cautionary narrative that is worrisome.
On Sunday, 18 January 2026, bandits invaded three churches in Kurmin Wali, abducting 177 worshippers, including women and children. The following day, Monday, 19 January, the Kaduna State Government, Police Commissioner Muhammad Rabiu, and Kajuru LGA Chairman Dauda Madaki publicly denied any large‑scale kidnapping, calling the reports “false” and demanding victim names.
On Tuesday, 20 January, journalists from several news outlets visited the village, interviewing survivors such as Jonathan Na Allah, whose wife and five children were taken. Also, the village Head Ishaku Dan’azumi Sidi confirmed that at least 166 people remain in captivity.
By Wednesday, 21 January, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) issued a statement confirming the abduction after “verification and intelligence assessments” and deployed tactical units.
On Thursday, 22 January, Governor Uba Sani visited Kurmin Wali, met with community leaders, and pledged to secure the victims’ release, noting the community’s proximity to Rijana forest as a factor. To many, this excuse from a sitting Governor who swore to protect lives and property, maintain law and order in his state feels inadequate. Is Rijana Forest not within his territory?
Voices from the ground paint a harrowing picture. Survivor Jonathan Na Allah recounted, “The bandits rounded us up from one Church to the other and forced us into the bush. We heard nothing from the government until journalists arrived.”
Rev. Joseph John Hayab, CAN Chairman of the 19 northern states, said, “Information from the area indicated about 172 people were abducted, nine escaped, leaving 163 still in captivity.” Village head Ishaku Dan’azumi Sidi added, “At least 166 people remain with the kidnappers,” contradicting earlier official claims of “no evidence of attack.”
Because of public outcry, the government and security response shifted from initial denial to action and promises. Governor Uba Sani visited the community, promised road construction, a hospital, and a permanent military presence, stressing that “the sanctity of human life” outweighs numbers. Police Commissioner Muhammad Rabiu, who had initially challenged anyone to provide victim names, like a “dog with its tail between its legs” later, through Force Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), admitted the abduction and announced a coordinated rescue effort.
The Force Spokesperson, in defence of the CP said, the comments made by Kaduna State Commissioner of Police Muhammad Rabiu were aimed at preventing panic while facts were still being verified. “Those remarks, which have since been widely misinterpreted, 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,” Hundeyin said.
Security expert Auwal Bala Durumin Iya, echoing public reactions, warned that premature denials erode public trust and called for sanctioning officers who supply false reports.
The historical echo of Chibok 2014 is unmistakable similar to this. The pattern of early denial, conflicting statements, and eventual confirmation mirrors the 2014 Chibok school‑girl abduction, where government officials initially down‑played reports, leading to national and international outrage before the full scale of the tragedy was acknowledged. That episode left a lasting scar on Nigeria’s reputation and sparked the global #BringBackOurGirls movement.
National and international reactions have been swift, with condemnation of the earlier denial. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and local churches condemned the “deliberate attempt to obscure the truth” and called for immediate rescue operations.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused the APC‑led government of normalising insecurity and treating citizens’ lives with levity. Human‑rights groups, such as Amnesty International Nigeria, demanded an independent investigation into why authorities initially denied the abduction and whether any political or religious bias influenced the response. International observers expressed concern, urging Nigeria to uphold its responsibility to protect civilians and to ensure transparent communication in crisis situations.
The Presidentisl Candidate in the 2023 rlections, Peter Obi has publicly condemned the Kurmin Wali church abductions, describing the incident as “colossally embarrassing” and demanding that the federal government secure the safe release of all victims. He criticised the initial police and state‑government denials, asking, “Since it has now been confirmed that over 150 worshippers were kidnapped, where and how did those who denied the incident initially get their information?” Obi stressed that leadership means acting when lives are at risk, not merely grabbing power, and urged authorities to stop “threatening to punish people for spreading falsehood” while the truth is being verified.
Newsworth analysis of why the denial occurred points to several factors. Political optics played a role, as admitting a large‑scale kidnapping could be seen as a failure of the state’s security apparatus, prompting officials to down‑play the incident to avoid public panic and political fallout. Religious and ethnic sensitivities also mattered, as Kurmin Wali is a predominantly Christian community in a region where Muslim‑Fulani banditry has been prevalent; officials may have been reluctant to acknowledge an attack on a Christian enclave, fearing it could inflame communal and religious tensions, a concern heightened by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s description of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” culminating in the Christmas Day bombing of ISWAP/Mamuda terrorist sects in Sokoto.
Institutional communication gaps, as security experts, Iya noted, meant that fragmented information flow between field officers, police headquarters, and government spokespersons led to premature and inaccurate statements.
The Newsworth Media Company’s position is clear. We declare unequivocally that the Kurmin Wali abduction exposes a dangerous pattern. Initial government denial, contradictory statements, and a belated admission only after media pressure can lead to tension, mistrust, and loss of confidence in government institutions and politicians.
To restore public trust, we call on all levels of government to establish a transparent, real‑time communication protocol for security incidents, ensuring verified information reaches the public promptly. We urge that any officials who deliberately withhold or distort information be held accountable, including through sanctions for false reporting. Rescue operations and victim‑support systems must be prioritised over political calculations, with immediate deployment of tactical and aerial assets.
Finally, community and religious leaders must be engaged to ensure that security responses are inclusive and not perceived as biased. Only by confronting these systemic failures can Nigeria hope to prevent future “cover‑ups” and truly safeguard the lives of all its citizens.
