By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Placing its members’ sorrows before God Almighty, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kajuru Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, has beseeched heaven to intervene and free the remaining persons of the 177 worshippers recently kidnapped by terrorists in Kurmin Wali in the LGA.
The body today organized a special prayer session for their safe return.
The worshippers were abducted from different churches during routine Sunday service.
The prayer session, held 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 abductees, including members of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) and the Cherubim and Seraphim churches, were forcibly taken away by armed men who invaded Kurmin Wali community and forced the congregants into the nearby forests.
Some of the victims later escaped even as many still remain in captivity.
Speaking during the prayer gathering, the Chairman of CAN, 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rev. 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 to enable them 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.
Rev. 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, Chairman of CAN, Kajuru LGA, Rev. 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 officials and security agencies to address insecurity in the area.
Rev. Kaura condemned the abduction of worshippers in Kurmin Wali and criticised what he described as the initial denial of the incident by some government top shots, saying it cast doubt on the accounts of victims, families, clergy and eyewitnesses.
He traced the root 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 11 pastors and their wives had been killed, while several others had been abducted, forcing many communities to abandon their homes.
Acknowledging that the administration of Governor Uba Sani had recorded relative peace in parts of Kajuru, Rev. 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, Rev. Caleb Bawa Ma’aji, bishops, clergy from various Christian denominations.
*PHOTO CAPTION: A cross section of the congregation during the church service.
