Nigeria: Armed gangs abduct at least 163 Christians from two churches
"The attackers came in large numbers, blocked the entrance to the churches and forced the worshippers out into the forest," said Rev. Joseph Hayab, director of the Christian Association of Nigeria for the north of the country, on Monday.
Catholic church in Lagos, Nigeria. File image.
Armed gangs abducted 163 Christian worshippers after storming two churches in the state of Kaduna in northern Nigeria on Sunday. The information was confirmed by a member of the clergy who spoke to AFP.
"The attackers came in large numbers, blocked the entrance to the churches and forced the worshippers out into the forest," Rev. Joseph Hayab, director of the Christian Association of Nigeria for the north of the country, said Monday.
"The actual number they captured was 172, but nine escaped, so 163 are with them," added Hayab, who lives in the city of Kaduna.
A U.N. security report accessed by AFP on Monday also noted that more than 100 people were abducted.
Gunmen raided the two churches during Sunday mass in the village of Kurmin Wali, in the predominantly Christian district of Kajuru.
It is the latest in a wave of kidnappings affecting Christians in Nigeria.
The kidnappings of Christians in Nigeria
In November, armed gangs abducted more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic school in the state of Niger. They were released weeks later in two groups.
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