Abductees Likely Held in Rijana Forest Now: Expert
By Mike Odeh James
(Bonjok, Kaduna State, BREAKING) Eighteen farmers, including small schoolchildren and the elderly, were seized by heavily armed Fulani terrorists Monday in a predawn assault on this Christian village in southern Kaduna State.
Those kidnapped are probably in the infamous Rijana Forest hostage camp, according to David Onyilokwu Idah, Director of the International Human Rights Commission Abuja. “Most probably, those taken by the terrorists are now in Rijana,” Idah told TruthNigeria.
“Rijana forest is the closest forest hideout for the terrorists,” Idah said. “In a short while, the terrorists will send messages to families of the hostages, demanding millions of Naira.”
He warned that once family members pay the ransom, “the terrorists buy more guns to do more kidnapping.”
Based on published accounts of ransom negotiations across the Middle Belt, the successful exchange of money for 18 hostages could reach far above $100,000, according to TruthNigeria analysts. However, unsuccessful negotiations have been followed by executions. TruthNigeria accounts from Rijana survivors document starvation over months and daily beatings.
“Nigerian terrorists maintain ransom camps similar to an open-air Auschwitz,” according to Dede Laugesen, CEO of Save the Persecuted Christians, speaking at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday.
Laugesen said the ransoming of children and the elderly has become an “industry” funding terror that disproportionately targets Christians.”
She criticized President Bola Tinubu for inaction, noting that many ransom camps operate next to Nigerian military bases.
“This is how genocide happens,” Laugesen told the press conference, sponsored by Equipping the Persecuted.
The attack unfolded around after midnight on January 12, 2026, when approximately 40 assailants stormed Bonjok village in Kwaturu Ward, Kachia County. Eyewitnesses described the raiders as well-organized fighters dressed in military-style uniforms and wielding AK-47 rifles, machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenades.
Daniel Fidelix, a unit leader with the local vigilante security force, said the attackers demonstrated tactical sophistication that suggested formal training.
“They came in a very organized way, like trained fighters,” Abu told TruthNigeria. “The shooting was intense. People ran into the bush to save their lives. The operation lasted close to two hours.”
Silent Entry Turns Violent
The terrorists initially entered the village stealthily, moving from house to house and quietly rousing residents before binding them for abduction. However, villagers soon awakened and alerted the local vigilante group, which engaged the attackers.
The confrontation quickly escalated into a fierce firefight.
“As we engaged them, they responded by using AK-47 guns and shouted at us, ‘Is this all you have? Short guns?'” Fidelix recounted. “They proceeded to shoot as they made for the bush. They also used rocket-propelled grenades to dissuade us from chasing them.”
Village Chief Mica Gaya corroborated Fedelix’s account, describing how the attackers systematically targeted homes despite resistance from local defenders.
“They came in quietly and started going from room to room snatching people,” Gaya said. “However, the local security outfit, which is a vigilante group, engaged the terrorists, but they responded with greater firepower so the vigilante could not come closer.”
The terrorists continued breaking into homes and dragging residents into captivity. In one household, they seized a man and his four children. A 15-year-old girl who resisted was slashed across the face with a machete.
“All in all, they kidnapped 18 persons from our village,” Gaya said.
Security Forces Fail to Respond
According to community leaders, both military and police units failed to respond to distress calls during the two-hour assault. Officials later attributed the delayed response to network failures and competing operational priorities.
“We called the military, but they did not respond,” Abu said. “However, they later told us that they left their phones in the vehicle during a patrol.”
The explanation has done little to reassure residents, who say the pattern of inadequate security responses has emboldened attackers across the region.
Pattern of Escalating Violence
The Bonjok abduction represents the latest incident in a wave of attacks that has swept through Kwaturu Ward throughout January. Weeks earlier, the neighboring Congo Community suffered a similar raid, fueling fears that the area has become a target zone for armed groups operating in Southern Kaduna.
Community leaders argue the repeated assaults reflect an entrenched criminal network rather than isolated banditry.
“This is no longer random,” a youth leader from Banjok, Solomon Avon said. “There are coordination, local knowledge, and confidence that they can operate without immediate resistance.”
However, recent attacks have taken on increasingly organized and militarized characteristics, with victims and security analysts describing operations that resemble insurgent tactics rather than traditional banditry or communal conflict.
Community-Led Investigation Yields Arrests
In an unusual development, youths from Congo Community launched an independent investigation following the earlier attack on their settlement. Their efforts resulted in the arrest of two suspects linked to the Fulani Ethnic Militia, including one identified as “Madara,” approximately 19 years old.
Daniel Fidelix who is one of the leaders of the local security outfit confirmed that the suspects are being held at the military facility in BATC Gumel, where they are undergoing interrogation.
According to locals, the detained individuals allegedly have confessed to participating in the serial attacks and provided names of other persons involved in the raids across Kwaturu Ward.
The youth-led investigation highlights growing frustration with official security responses and represents an attempt by communities to take protection into their own hands. However, it also raises concerns about potential vigilante justice and the risk of reprisal attacks that could further destabilize the region.
Bonjok (Banjok), a predominantly Christian Farming community, lies south–southeast of Kaduna, about 60–65 miles by road from Kaduna city.
The area is inhabited chiefly by Southern-Kaduna ethnic groups, particularly the Adara (Kadara) and related peoples.
Bonjok is overwhelmingly Christian, with churches including ECWA (Evangelical Church Winning All), Roman Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, and Pentecostal denominations.
The Bonjok raid is just latest iteration of criminal predation on all the Christian tribes settled in Southern Kaduna. Fulani-tribe Ethnic Militia have unleashed waves of attacks on farmers claiming thousands of lives over the past decade.
Mike Odeh James is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
