Odinkalu made the allegation in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, where he shared videos showing a team of police led by the CP visiting the affected community following reports of the mass abduction.
A former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu, has accused the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, of deliberately suppressing the truth about the alleged abduction of churchgoers in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.
Odinkalu made the allegation in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, where he shared videos showing a team of police led by the CP visiting the affected community following reports of the mass abduction.
In the post, the human rights lawyer questioned the credibility of the police denial of the incident, insisting that the Nigeria Police Force was fully aware of what transpired but was acting under external influence.
"The Nigeria Police alone know whose and what script they are acting out in claiming to deny the mass abduction last Sunday of the Kajuru 177,” Odinkalu wrote.
According to him, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police had personally visited the community alongside other security personnel, inspected the affected churches, and engaged directly with survivors of the alleged attack.
"Kaduna State CP, Muhammad Rabiu, has been to the community with his folks. He has seen the affected places of worship and personally spoken to survivors,” Odinkalu stated.
He, however, suggested that the police chief was unwilling to publicly confirm the incident due to fear of repercussions from powerful interests outside the state.
"I suspect the CP may fear that if he says truthfully what he saw, his paymasters in Abuja who have paid $9 billion elsewhere to buy a convenient narrative, will come for his job,” Odinkalu added.
The comments come amid growing controversy over conflicting accounts surrounding the reported kidnapping of worshippers in Kajuru, a local government area that has previously experienced violent attacks and mass abductions.
Previously, SaharaReporters noted that during 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.
A source with family members among the victims told SaharaReporters that the assailants stormed the churches, forcibly taking congregants.
Reports indicate that around 10 people considered vulnerable were released by the attackers.
While the report went round, the Nigerian police denied that such an attack ever happened. However, after public outcry, it made a U-turn, admitting that there was such a kidnap incident.
Nigerians expressed disappointment at the security agencies for trying to sweep such kidnap case under the carpet.
Kaduna has faced repeated cases of deadly attacks by bandits.
For instance, on January 3, SaharaReporters reported that bandits had killed four members of a family during a deadly overnight attack in Kachia town, Southern Kaduna.
Multiple sources told SaharaReporters that the attack occurred near the newly established Federal University of Applied Science, the headquarters of Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
A member of the affected family confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters, identifying the victims as Mr. Bitrus Bahago, his wife, Mrs. Justina Bitrus Bahago, their son, Ibrahim Bitrus Bahago, and another relative, Adam Waziri.
“They are all four killed by the bandits,” the family source said.
Odinkalu’s remarks have further intensified calls for an independent investigation into the alleged abduction and for security agencies to provide a clear and truthful account of events to the public.