Phones Switched Off, Recording Banned During Commissioner’s Visit
SaharaReporters can exclusively report that the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State Muhammad Rabiu, visited one of the churches where armed terrorists abducted worshippers in Kurmin Wali, a remote community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following the deadly attack that has thrown the area into fear and mourning.
Phones Switched Off, Recording Banned During Commissioner’s Visit.
Multiple sources told SaharaReporters that during the visit, the police commissioner, who arrived at the scene with heavily armed security operatives, instructed everyone present to switch off their mobile phones and warned them not to record videos or take photographs throughout the visit.
According to sources, the commissioner also visited the surrounding areas affected by the attack.
The visit followed attacks on communities in southern Kaduna. Meanwhile, the same police commissioner earlier denied that any abduction of worshippers took place.
SaharaReporters obtained a video from the scene showing the commissioner of police surrounded by armed officers as he inspected the church building and interacted with some of the victims.
In the video, one of the victims, seen wearing a yellow jersey, has visible head injuries. The victim reportedly escaped from the terrorists as they were transporting the abducted worshippers into the forest.
During the visit, the commissioner was seen speaking directly to the injured victim inside the church, questioning him in Hausa about how he managed to escape from the abductors and what exactly transpired during the attack.
Escaped Victim Recounts How He Fled With His Child
Narrating his ordeal to the commissioner and his team, the victim explained that the attack happened suddenly while they were in church for worship.
He said, “When we reached the place where they chased people, I was carrying my daughter in my hand. Because we were many, when we reached an area where houses were close to each other and the road was narrow, I managed to escape. I entered one house and locked it. None of them noticed me.”
When the police commissioner asked whether he was inside the church when the attack began, the victim clarified that he was worshipping in another church nearby.
“I was in the second church, ECWA church,” he said.
One of the police investigators standing beside the commissioner then asked the victim to explain what happened from the moment the terrorists arrived at the church premises.
The victim said, “While we were inside the church, we heard people screaming and shouting. When I came outside, I saw bandits standing in front of our church with guns. Immediately, I carried my daughter and wanted to run away. One of the bandits told me that if I tried to run, he would kill me. Instantly, I stopped.”
He continued, “When I stopped, they told us to follow them. As we were moving forward, in front of another church, I saw that they had already captured some worshippers and gathered them in one place.”
Victims Beaten, Mixed With Other Kidnap Victims
According to the victim, after the terrorists assembled all the abducted worshippers and other victims together, they were forced to march into the bush.
“When they gathered all of us, they told us to move forward and enter the bush. When we reached a town where they had already chased people away, they stopped us there. They started beating us. They did not ask us any questions; they just kept beating us. After they were satisfied with the beating, they told us to stand up and continue walking,” he explained.
The victim further revealed that the abductors were not only holding church worshippers but also other kidnapped persons taken from different locations before the church attack.
“As we reached another community, I managed to enter a house and locked it. The people they kidnapped were many; not only worshippers. They also had people they kidnapped before us. From that community, I later managed to escape into the bush and found my way back here,” he said.
Sources told SaharaReporters that the victim appeared weak and visibly traumatized as he spoke, with injuries on his head believed to have been sustained during the attack or while escaping.
Residents of Kurmin Wali expressed anger and frustration over the incident, lamenting over repeated failures of security agencies to protect rural communities in Southern Kaduna, which has suffered frequent attacks by armed groups.
Community members also questioned the decision by the police commissioner to order phones switched off during his visit, describing it as an attempt to prevent documentation of the scene and the condition of victims.
However, many families remain in anguish as scores of worshippers are still being held captive by the terrorists, with no official confirmation yet on rescue efforts or negotiations.
Activists, Village Head Confirm Abductions Took Place
The attack in Kurmin Wali is the latest in a series of violent assaults on churches and rural communities in Kaduna State, raising concerns about worsening insecurity and the safety of worshippers across the state.
Meanwhile, some activists visited the churches where worshippers were reportedly kidnapped, confirming that at least 11 people managed to escape during the attack.
According to the activists, their findings contradicted claims circulating on social media in which the government denied that any abduction took place or insisted that nothing happened.
During the visit, the activists met with one of the village heads, who also confirmed that the abduction did occur and that several members narrowly escaped from the attackers.
The village head explained in detail how some of the escapees were severely beaten by the terrorists before managing to flee, leaving many of them injured.
He stated that the attackers assaulted the victims mercilessly and inflicted serious injuries on them, adding that the community could only account for those who were physically present and had successfully escaped.
“They beat them and injured them badly. We can only confirm those we have seen with our own eyes, those who escaped,” the village head said.
One of the victims who managed to escape removed his clothes to show the activists the marks and scars he sustained from the beating.
The activists observed visible bruises and injuries covering his back, clearly indicating the level of violence he endured at the hands of the attackers.
The activists said their visit and direct interactions with victims and community leaders provided clear evidence that the abduction did take place.
Saharareporters had previously reported that in a daring attack on Sunday, a gang of bandits struck multiple churches in the Kurmin Wali area of Kajuru Local Government, Kaduna State, abducting over 100 worshippers during ongoing services.
The Chairman of 19 Northern States chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. John Hayab, subsequently confirmed the abduction, adding that 172 worshippers were abducted of which some returned leaving 163 worshippers in captivity.
Shortly after the report, the Kaduna State government countered the claims by the CAN, adding that no Christian worshippers were kidnapped during Sunday services in three churches in the Kajuru local government area.
WATCH: Kaduna Police Commissioner Visits Abducted Worshippers’ Church, Orders Phones Switched Off As Escaped Victim Narrates Ordeal pic.twitter.com/wMorDarmwo
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