After 50 Taped Interviews with Survivors, Nigerian Police Refuse Calls for Comment
Credit Mike Odeh James .
Credit Mike Odeh James.
Credit Mike Odeh James.
By Mike Odeh James and Luka Binniyat
(Kaduna) In Kaduna State’s heart of darkness, they are waiting for their cries to be heard.
TruthNigeria confirmed on Friday (24th October 2025) that mass hostage-holding camps 30 miles Southeast of Kaduna city contain hundreds of helpless captives, many tortured daily by Fulani bandit terrorists.
Whereas 15 hostages kidnapped Sept. 20 have since been released, nine remain in captivity inside Rijana Forest, according to taped interviews with survivors in Kachia County (Local Government Area).
In one of the largest unreported kidnapping attacks in Nigeria, Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) stormed Agamah village in Kajuru County, Kaduna state, September 20, 2025, abducting 24 residents — men, women, and children – to a notorious Fulani terrorist camp, approximately 2 miles east of Rijana, a town on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway.
Buhari Yari, from Agamah, has two of his wives, a daughter and other relatives taken. One of the wives, Janet, was released while the other one Mary, is still in captivity alongside other hostages from the village, Yari told TruthNigeria in Agamah, Friday.
Yari said he can barely work because he is consumed by the urgent task of gathering funda to free his nine relatives still held in the forest, who are likely enduring daily beatings.
Southern Kaduna has become a grim hub for Fulani-tribe militias who maintain at least five major hostage camps across the region — often within a few hundred yards of army bases.
Investigations by TruthNigeria since February 2025 have documented hundreds of abductions from more than a dozen communities, including Agamah, Rijana, Kujama, and Ungwan Sarki. Other hostages were captured in the counties of Kauru, Kaura, Kachia, and Chikun. Kidnapping units have raided the entire length of Southern Kaduna, the region of the state where Christians greatly outnumber Muslims.
TruthNigeria reporters conducted more than 50 interviews with released hostages, survivors, and local officials to map the scale of the crisis, yet Nigerian spokesmen for the army and police routinely ignore calls for comment from TruthNigeria reporters.
A Network of Camps
TruthNigeria’s findings show that these camps collectively hold hundreds — possibly thousands — of hostages at any given time. Many are women and children, still unaccounted for months after abduction.
“The camps are structured like small villages,” said one former captive from Agamah.
“Some militants control dozens of hostages deep in the forest. We were marched for hours, beaten along the way, and constantly threatened.”
TruthNigeria’s 10 trips to interview survivors have documented that so far, approximately 200 hostages have been freed.
In February 2025, 26 Pentecostal Christians were released after families paid ₦40 million (about $27,000). A month later, 52 villagers regained freedom following further ransom payments.
At least 15 hostages have died in captivity. Among them was Chief Amos Galadima, a respected Christian leader from Agamah, tortured to death in January 2025 despite ongoing ransom efforts.
As of October 2025, more than 800 Christians are believed to remain in captivity across Rijana’s network of forest camps — chiefly farmers, traders, and community leaders enduring brutal conditions.
Families across Kaduna State have paid huge sums to free loved ones.
· Christopher Barnabas, 34, from Angwan Take, was released after his family paid ₦5.6 million.
· Maureen Mica, from Gaude village, was abducted in June 2025; her family managed only ₦400,000 of a ₦600,000 demand.
· Esther Emmanuel, also from Gaude, was taken with her 10-month-old baby after her family failed to meet ransom demands.
· The Nuhu family reportedly paid ₦40 million for the release of 11 relatives.
Despite ransom payments, hundreds remain missing — many feared dead or trafficked.
Agamah: A Village Under Siege
Agamah, a predominantly Christian community whose residents hail from the Adara and Gbagyi tribes, has suffered repeated attacks. During the September 20 raid, more than 100 armed men in military fatigues and black clothing overran the village, looting homes and seizing villagers, residents told our reporters.
Blessing Yari, 21, who was later released, recounted the ordeal: “They beat my uncle mercilessly with horsewhips, tied him up, and forced us to walk for hours. They threatened to kill us and our children.”
Ezekiel Karu, 61, lost seven family members in the raid, four of whom remain in captivity. “We have lost our livestock, farms, and peace,” he said. “Every night we fear another attack.”
Communities in Flight
The Agamah village secretary described a once-thriving settlement now reduced to ruins.
“We had nearly 6,000 residents; today, barely 300 remain. Farms are abandoned, and hunger is widespread,” he said.
According to residents interviewed, the bandit-terrorists demand forced religious conversion and control over women, farms, and livestock. Their operations are sometimes near military installations such as the Nigerian Army School of Artillery in Kachia, leading many to wonder why the soldiers do not intervene.
For Buhari Yari, the fight is personal. “I cannot farm or work,” he said. “My thoughts are only with my wife and the nine still trapped in Rijana forest. Every day they remain there is another day of torment.”
Experts warn that Southern Kaduna faces a deepening humanitarian and security crisis. With hundreds still missing, repeated assaults, and near-total impunity for perpetrators, fear and trauma now define daily life across the region.
Mike Odeh James and Luka Binniyat are award-winning, veteran reporters for TruthNigeria.
