Nigeria Confirms Over 160 Christians Kidnapped as Trump Urges Coordinated Anti-Terror Efforts

Nigerian authorities have confirmed that more than 160 Christians were kidnapped during worship services in Kaduna state on Sunday, reversing their initial denial of the coordinated attacks on three churches.

“Subsequent verification from operational units and intelligence sources has confirmed that the incident did occur,” said Benjamin Hundeyin, police spokesperson for northwestern Kaduna state, in an official statement.

The admission came after state lawmaker Usman Danlami Stingo told The Associated Press that 177 people had been abducted during simultaneous attacks. According to Stingo, 11 people managed to escape, leaving 168 still missing. The targeted churches included the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), a Cherubim and Seraphim denomination, and a Catholic church.

The case has sparked controversy after Kaduna State Police Commissioner Muhammad Rabiu initially dismissed reports of the kidnappings as “rumors,” claiming police had visited one of the churches and found “no evidence of the attack.” Rabiu suggested the reports were “sponsored by people who are not happy with the relative peace that Kajuru has been enjoying.”

Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Northern Christian Association of Nigeria, expressed frustration over the initial denial, stating on Nigerian broadcast network Africa Independent: “I don’t know the politics being played by the deniers, but this is quite sad. Whoever is asking for a list, we have shown them the list, let them tell us the list does not exist.”

The Chikun/Kajuru Active Citizens Congress, a local advocacy group, has published a list of hostages, though this list has not yet been independently verified.

Rights organization Amnesty International condemned what it called a “desperate denial” of the attacks by police and government officials. “The latest mass abduction clearly shows President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups and gunmen that killed thousands of people,” the group said in a statement.

Two Christian organizations—the Northern Christian Association of Nigeria and Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria—reported sending representatives to investigate the situation, but said they were turned away by military and local government officials. A local resident allegedly told CSWN that armed bandits had rounded up congregants and “forced them into a bush,” later releasing elderly women and children.

The mass abduction occurs amid escalating security concerns in northern Nigeria. Just weeks ago, on December 25, 2025, U.S. Africa Command conducted precision strikes targeting Islamic State-linked militants in Sokoto State, a Muslim-majority region in northwest Nigeria. The Pentagon confirmed the operation was carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities to degrade ISIS-West Africa Province capabilities, resulting in multiple militant casualties.

The Christmas Day strikes represented one of the most significant U.S. military actions in Nigeria in recent years and came as U.S. officials warned that ISIS affiliates were exploiting Nigeria’s vast ungoverned spaces, porous borders, and limited security presence in rural areas.

A senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital: “President Trump made his position clear. Nigeria is facing a complex array of threats from terrorist groups and violent extremist organizations that is affecting wide portions of the country. We hope that the Nigerian government will work to take swift and immediate action in collaboration with the United States to address the violence that is affecting Christians, as well as countless other innocent civilians across Nigeria.”

In recent months, armed groups have abducted hundreds of schoolgirls and students from multiple northern Nigerian schools, reigniting debate over whether the violence constitutes religious persecution or criminal banditry, and whether Nigeria’s government can effectively protect vulnerable populations.

Religious freedom advocates and some U.S. lawmakers have called for stronger diplomatic and security engagement, arguing that repeated attacks on Christian communities are being minimized by Nigerian authorities. However, Nigeria’s government has consistently rejected claims of a coordinated campaign against Christians, insisting the violence is driven primarily by criminal groups seeking ransom rather than religious ideology. Security officials warn that misinformation about attacks risks inflaming tensions in already volatile regions.