The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed an abduction incident at Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following initial uncertainty over the report.
In a statement by the force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the police said that, the clarification came after further verification by operational and intelligence units, despite earlier conflicting accounts that emerged during a meeting of the Kaduna State Security Council at the Government House, Kaduna.
Police said comments earlier attributed to the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Command, were misinterpreted and were intended to prevent public panic while facts were being confirmed.
Following confirmation of the incident, coordinated security operations involving other agencies have been launched to rescue the victims and restore calm to the area.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the deployment of tactical and intelligence assets to Kajuru and surrounding communities.
The Police urged the public and the media to rely on official information and avoid speculation that could jeopardise ongoing operations.
It could be recalled that terrorists, loosely referred to as “bandits,” invaded the area on Sunday, 18 January, kidnapping over 160 worshippers.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said 172 people were initially abducted but nine escaped and the remaining were marched into a nearby forest.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria (CSW-N) explained that the terrorists staged the attack while church services were ongoing.
The statement signed by its spokesperson, Reuben Buhari, listed the affected churches to include the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Albarka Cherubim and Seraphim 1 and Haske Cherubim and Seraphim 2.
