By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
KADUNA – The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State has held a special prayer session for the safe return of 177 worshippers abducted from churches in Kurmin Wali community, one week after the incident.
The prayer session, held on Sunday at Tawaliu Baptist Church in Maraban Kajuru, brought together Christian leaders from across Kaduna State and the wider northern region as families of the abducted worshippers continued to wait anxiously for their release.
The worshippers, who are members of the Evangelical Church Winning All and the Cherubim and Seraphim churches, were abducted during Sunday services when armed men invaded Kurmin Wali community and forced congregants into surrounding forests. Although a few of the victims later escaped, many remain in captivity.
Speaking at the prayer gathering, the Chairman of CAN in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, Reverend Joseph John Hayab, urged churches to strengthen surveillance and security around places of worship in response to the growing threat against worship centres.
He said churches must combine prayer with vigilance by putting in place basic internal security and monitoring arrangements that would enable them to observe activities within and around worship premises during services.
According to him, unrestricted access to church premises without situational awareness exposes worshippers to danger and leaves congregations vulnerable to attacks.
Reverend Hayab described the security situation in Kajuru as deeply troubling, noting that repeated attacks on communities and churches had reached an unacceptable level and required urgent collective action.
He warned that unless proactive steps were taken, churches would continue to suffer losses, stressing that faith must be accompanied by responsibility and preparedness.
“We have been praying and watching instead of watching and praying. The church must wake up,” Reverend Hayab said.
In his remarks, the Chairman of CAN in Kajuru Local Government Area, Reverend Enoch Kaura, said the prayer session was convened to seek God’s intervention for the safe return of the abducted worshippers and to pray for wisdom for government authorities and security agencies in addressing insecurity in the area.
Reverend Kaura condemned the abduction of worshippers in Kurmin Wali and criticised what he described as the initial denial of the incident by government authorities, saying it cast doubt on the accounts of victims, families, clergy and eyewitnesses.
He traced the roots of insecurity in Kajuru to the 1980s, noting that violence escalated in 2017 and 2018 during the crisis in Kasuwan Magani, which culminated in the abduction and killing of the area’s paramount ruler.
According to him, the Kurmin Wali abduction was not an isolated incident, recalling previous attacks on Buda Church where a pastor and some members were abducted, as well as the killing of a church member in Ugakala Maro last year.
He said that since 2019, no fewer than eleven pastors and their wives had been killed, while several others had been abducted, forcing many communities to abandon their homes.
While acknowledging that the administration of Governor Uba Sani had recorded relative peace in parts of Kajuru, Reverend Kaura said lingering insecurity continued to prevent residents from fully returning to normal life, particularly in harvesting their farm produce.
He called on the government and security agencies to intensify security operations in Kajuru and other vulnerable areas to prevent further attacks and ensure the rescue of all abducted worshippers.
The prayer session was attended by the Kaduna State Chairman of CAN, Reverend Caleb Bawa Ma’aji, bishops, and clergy from various denominations.
