Nigeria’s military said Sunday it had rescued 31 worshippers seized from Easter celebrations in northwestern Kaduna State, though at least five others were killed, as fresh violence elsewhere in the country underscored deepening insecurity.
Gunmen raided a Catholic and an evangelical church in a village about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Abuja, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria’s Kaduna chairman Caleb Bawa Ma’aji.
“Through a swift response, (troops) have successfully foiled a terrorist attack leading to the rescue of 31 civilians abducted during an Easter church service” in Ariko village, the military said, adding troops engaged the attackers in a firefight that forced them to abandon the hostages.
The army said five victims were killed, while Ma’aji put the toll higher at seven. The attack came despite heightened security ordered for Easter services.
Kaduna is among several northwestern and central states plagued for years by heavily armed criminal gangs known as bandits, who raid communities and kidnap for ransom. Though largely financially motivated, the groups have increasingly been linked to jihadists operating in northeastern Nigeria.
In a separate operation, the military said at least 65 bandits were killed in an offensive in Zamfara State, describing it as a “major breakthrough,” even as police confirmed a separate mass kidnapping earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, further violence was reported in central Nigeria, where gunmen attacked Mbalom village in Benue State, killing several people.
State government spokesman Tersoo Kula confirmed casualties but gave no figures, while residents said at least 17 people were killed and several others wounded when attackers opened fire indiscriminately on Saturday evening.
Governor Hyacinth Alia blamed “suspected armed herdsmen” for what he described as a “barbaric act.”
Nigeria’s Middle Belt, including Benue and neighboring Plateau State, has long been a flashpoint for clashes between nomadic cattle herders and farming communities over land and resources, often taking on ethnic and religious dimensions.
The latest attack follows a Palm Sunday assault in the Plateau state capital Jos that killed around 30 people at a public garden, highlighting the persistent cycle of violence despite ongoing security operations ref: wire
