At least 20 Nigerian churchgoers abducted and held hostage by gunmen

Lagos, May 9, (dpa/GNA) – Gunmen attacked a church in northern Nigeria, and are holding 20 worshippers hostage in an unknown location, a church official confirmed on Tuesday.

“The gunmen came to the church well armed, and kidnapped everybody they met,” Reverend Joseph Hayab, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State, told dpa.

Twenty-two people managed to escape the gunmen after they attacked the Bege Baptist Church in a remote village of Kaduna State, during the Sunday service, Hayab said.

Those abducted included many women and children, he said, adding that the gunmen still were still holding 20 people captive.

The church attack is the latest in a spate of abductions by armed groups, who have also been known to carry out mass kidnappings of schoolchildren in northern Nigeria.

The armed groups, locally referred to as “bandits,” have links with local jihadist groups such as Boko Haram.

Four Baptist churches in Kaduna State have been attacked this year.

In July 2021, 120 children were abducted from the Bethel Baptist School, with most of them spending several months in captivity.

One of the students is still being held.

Influential politician Bola Tinubu, will be sworn in as Nigeria’s president later this month. He will be under pressure to address Nigeria’s growing insecurity, especially from attacks by armed bandits and jihadist groups.

According to a 2022 report by Nigerian researchers, the groups carry out mass kidnappings for funding and publicity.

GNA