Nigeria: Easter worshippers rescued after deadly church attack

The Nigerian military has reported that 31 worshippers abducted during Easter services in the northwestern Kaduna state were rescued following a firefight, according to France 24, via AFP, on April 6th.

Caleb Bawa Ma’aji, the Christian Association of Nigeria chairman for Kaduna state, told AFP that gunmen raided a Catholic and an evangelical church during Easter celebrations on April 5th.

The kidnapping occurred in a village situated roughly 100 kilometres north of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, despite the police chief’s order for a “massive security deployment’, including at places of worship during the Easter festival.

“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 the village of Ariko, stated the military.

They engaged the attackers in a “firefight”, forcing the “terrorists to abandon 31 hostages”, the military reported. Furthermore, they reported that five victims had been killed by the attackers, but Ma’aji said that seven people were killed during the attack.

In January, armed gangs abducted more than 170 worshippers from three churches during mass in Kaduna state. Authorities said 80 managed to escape, whilst the remainder were released after three weeks following negotiations.

Kaduna is among several states across northwest and central Nigeria that have long been plagued by criminal gangs, commonly referred to as bandits, who carry out deadly raids and kidnap civilians for ransom.

Though primarily driven by financial motives, these groups are increasingly forging links with jihadist networks operating out of Nigeria’s northeast, complicating the security picture.

It remains unclear whether the military’s use of the term “terrorists” referred to jihadist groups or bandits.

Despite a significant increase in army deployments in the region, violence has continued to rise, which has drawn the attention of US President Donald Trump, who has alleged that Nigerian Christians are being subjected to “genocide.”

Separately, Nigeria’s military killed 65 “bandits” in Zamfara state, according to a security report seen by AFP.

The military operation was launched in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, the same region where police on April 4th confirmed a mass kidnapping earlier in the week, though the army’s operation targeted a different district from where the abductions took place.

Authorities said at least 65 militants had been killed, with a security report hailing the result as a “major breakthrough.”

France 24 with AFP, Maghrebi.org.