Chronicle of a mass kidnapping: The day Nigeria’s Kurmin Wali changed

Kurmin Wali, Nigeria – Like astir Sundays successful Kurmin Wali, the greeting of January 18 began with aboriginal preparations for religion and, aboriginal on, buying astatine the play market.

But by 9:30am, it became wide to residents of the colony successful the Kajuru section authorities country of Nigeria’s Kaduna State that this Sunday would not beryllium a mean one.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Nigerian refugees instrumentality to ruined homes successful the look of equipped radical threats
• list 2 of 3Nigerian constabulary corroborate gunmen abducted villagers, aft archetypal denials
• list 3 of 3Militarising the Sahel volition not decision terrorism

Gunmen known locally arsenic bandits arrived successful the colony successful numbers, equipped with AK47 rifles.

They broke down doors and ordered radical retired of their homes and the village’s 3 churches.

They blocked the colony exits earlier taking radical and marching dozens into the wood astatine gunpoint.

Some captives were taken from church, portion others were forcibly kidnapped arsenic gunmen moved from location to house.

In 1 house, much than 30 members of an extended household were abducted.

Jummai Idris, a comparative of the household that was taken, remains inconsolable.

She was location the time of the onslaught and did not spell out.

“When I heard shouting, I took 2 children and we hid down a house. That was however they [the bandits] missed us,” she told Al Jazeera.

“But I heard each shout, each outcry and footstep arsenic they picked up radical from our location and surrounding houses,” she added, betwixt sobs.

With tears streaming down her face, Idris recounts however she kept calling retired the names of her missing household members – men, women and children.

Her location sits connected the borderline of the village, adjacent to a bandits’ crossing point.

“I don’t cognize what they are doing to them now. I don’t cognize if they’ve eaten oregon not,” she said.

A full of 177 radical were abducted that day. Eleven escaped their captors, but astir a 4th of Kurmin Wali’s colonisation remains captive.

Initially, authorities officials denied the onslaught had taken place.

In the contiguous aftermath, Kaduna’s constabulary commissioner called reports a “falsehood peddled by struggle entrepreneurs”.

Finally, 2 days later, Nigeria’s nationalist constabulary spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, admitted an “abduction” had so occurred connected Sunday. He said constabulary had launched information operations with the purpose of “locating and safely rescuing the victims and restoring calm to the area”.

Uba Sani, Kaduna state’s governor, added that much than conscionable rescuing the abductees, the authorities was committed to ensuring “that we found imperishable extortion for them”.

There has been a constabulary beingness successful Kurmin Wali since then. But it is not capable to reassure villagers.

Locals accidental the constabulary are not determination to support the village, but simply to compile the names of victims they for days denied existed.

At the premises of Haske Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, the largest religion successful the village, days aft the attack, a rust-coloured doorway laic connected the floor, pulled disconnected its hinges. Inside the mud-brick building, the tract was chaotic.

Plastic chairs overturned successful panic were strewn astir the country – conscionable arsenic the kidnappers had near them.

An exterior presumption of the Haske Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, aft an onslaught by gunmen successful which worshippers were kidnapped, successful Kurmin Wali, Kaduna, Nigeria, January 20, 2026 [Nuhu Gwamna/Reuters]

‘Only the recklessly bold tin stay’

The religion gathering was wherever the captors brought everyone earlier marching them into the wood surrounding the village.

Residents said the gunmen divided themselves into antithetic groups, targeting homes and churches successful the village.

Maigirma Shekarau was among those taken earlier helium managed to escape.

“They tied us, bushed america up, earlier arriving america into the bush. We trekked a agelong region earlier taking a break,” helium said of his travel with his captors.

Shekarau, a begetter of five, was holding his three-year-old girl erstwhile helium and others were taken.

“When we reached an abandoned village, I ducked wrong a country with my small girl erstwhile the attackers weren’t looking. I closed the doorway and waited. After what seemed similar eternity, and definite they were gone, I opened the doorway and walked backmost home, avoiding the bush path,” helium said, present backmost successful the village.

But connected returning home, his bosom sank. He and his three-year-old were the lone ones who made it home. The remainder of the household is inactive held by the kidnappers.

Standing successful a parched tract of agelong dried grass, Shekarau says the colony nary longer feels similar home.

The colony main was besides taken, but managed to escape. He present presides implicit a assemblage hopeful for the instrumentality of the missing – but excessively frightened to stay.

“Everyone is connected edge. People are confused and don’t cognize what to do. Some haven’t eaten. There are full families that are missing,” said Ishaku Danazumi, the colony chief.

Danazumi says the kidnappers regularly sojourn and loot the colony atom stores and the villagers’ possessions, including mobile phones.

Two days aft the attack, residents said the bandits rode done their colony again.

On that day, the assemblage besides received a ransom demand.

“They accused america of taking 10 motorcycles they hid successful the bush to evade soldiers who operated present the week before,” Danazumi said. “But we didn’t spot those bikes.”

The main said the captors told him the instrumentality of the 10 bikes was a precondition for the instrumentality of his people.

But heavy inside, helium knows, much demands volition follow.

In the village, residents hold successful their thatch and mud-brick houses, hoping for their loved ones to return.

But due to the fact that of fearfulness and the tense situation, galore are leaving the farming community.

“Anyone reasoning astir remaining successful this colony needs to reconsider,” said Panchan Madami, a nonmigratory who besides survived the attack.

“Only the recklessly bold tin enactment with the existent authorities of information here.”

Villagers said that earlier the January 18 attack, 21 radical kidnapped by the bandits were returned to them aft a ransom was paid. But conscionable 2 days later, a 4th of the colony was taken.

“It volition beryllium anserine to enactment here, hoping things volition beryllium OK,” added Madami.

The authorities says it volition found a subject station to support the assemblage from further attacks. But that is not comforting capable for Idris, who has besides made up her caput to leave.

“I’m not coming backmost here,” she said, gathering her belongings to permission the colony wherever she grew up and married. “I conscionable anticipation the remainder of my household gets back.”

A drone presumption of Kurmin Wali, wherever churches were attacked by gunmen and radical were kidnapped [Nuhu Gwamna/Reuters]