From Denials to Military Roadblocks, Official Action Bespeaks a Troubling Pattern
By Mike Odeh James and Douglas Burton
(Kaduna) Kidnapping confounds crime stoppers the world over but nowhere more so than in the hard-to-reach killing fields of Northcentral Nigeria.
A mass abduction in a scruffy village in Nigeria’s Kaduna State just eight days ago was shocking for two reasons. First, the numbers: 177 Christian worshippers praising God on their folding chairs were snatched by radicalized terrorists and marched into the nearby forest in minutes. Second, the speed with which local officials point-blank denied that it ever happened and then reversed themselves a day later.
Yet, unpacking the mystery of what happened in the village of Kurmin Wali on January 18 could help the Trump Administration give authentic hope to Nigeria’s 100 million Christians.
Approximately 50 armed Fulani Ethnic Militia fighters attacked the Christian village of Kurmin Wali in Kajuru Local Government at 9 a.m. Jan 18.
Residents said the assault was swift and coordinated. Survivors described gunmen blocking church exits before marching worshippers into the surrounding forest at gunpoint. Eleven people managed to escape. The rest disappeared into forest and analysts believe they are being held 20 miles away near the town of Rijana.
Early Alerts Ignored
Baptist Pastor John Joseph Hayab, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) was among the first to be notified and immediately alerted the Nigeria Police Force and officials of the Kaduna State Government. Police outposts in the area transmitted alerts confirming a mass abduction.
Despite these early warnings, no public bulletin notified news media. Instead, actions taken over the next 48 hours were intended to conceal rather than reveal.
‘Do Not Speak to Anyone’
On Monday morning, January 19, Dauda Madaki, the elected chairman of the Local Government Area encompassing Kurmin Wali came to visit. Villager Sunday Amos, a farmer whose wife remains in captivity, told TruthNigeria that Madaki met with community members and received firsthand accounts of the attack.
Madaki instructed villagers not to speak publicly about the kidnapping, assuring them that authorities were “working hard” to secure the release of those abducted, according to residents present at the meeting.
Villagers said that request marked the beginning of what they perceived as an official attempt to spike the story.
Security Council Meeting and Public Denial
Later that same day, Madaki attended a Kaduna State Security Council meeting alongside Muhammad Rabiu the state Commissioner of Police, and senior military and intelligence officials, including the General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Army’s First Division and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS).
After the meeting, Rabiu addressed journalists in Kaduna and flatly denied that any kidnapping had occurred in Kurmin Wali.
“No person was kidnapped in Kurmin Wali,” the police commissioner said. He further claimed that Rev. Hayab had personally visited the community and confirmed that no abduction took place.
Madaki echoed the police position, publicly insisting that reports of a mass kidnapping were false, as reported by the New York Times.
The Kaduna State Government reinforced this narrative. Ibrahim Musa, the Commissioner for Information, told reporters that security briefings showed no evidence of any abduction and that “no one was missing.”
Military Cordons Seal Off Kurmin Wali
While these denials were being issued in Kaduna, Nigerian military moved to seal off their community, according to residents.
On Monday, January 19, soldiers established cordons around Kurmin Wali, restricting movement in and out of the village. Villagers said visitors were turned back and journalists prevented from accessing the area.
Multiple residents described the cordon as an attempt to prevent independent verification of the attack and to stop survivors from speaking to the media.
Reuben Buhari, spokesman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide-Nigeria (CSW-N), a United Kingdom based non-governmental organization, said that his team was denied entry.
Military Bungles Chase of Terrorists
Linus Madami, son of the village head, told TruthNigeria that after 11 abductees escaped from the terrorists on Monday, Jan. 19, the military asked them to lead soldiers into the forest to pursue the kidnappers, then balked without explanation. The soldiers walked into the forest for 10 minutes, then “gave up the chase,” according to Madami.
TruthNigeria Gains Access
On Tuesday, January 20, a TruthNigeria correspondent managed to enter Kurmin Wali with the assistance of residents, bypassing security restrictions.
What he found contradicted official statements.
Homes were abandoned. Churches stood empty. Families were in visible distress over missing relatives. Interviews conducted with Linus Madami and the secretary of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Kurmin Wali confirmed that 177 worshippers were kidnapped during Sunday services, with 11 escaping.
Residents provided consistent accounts, naming the churches attacked and describing how armed men herded congregants into the forest – all reported by TruthNigeria on Tuesday.
Police and State Government Recant
Faced with pictures and video interviews published by TruthNigeria, the Federal Police on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, issued a statement on national television acknowledging that a mass kidnapping had taken place in Kurmin Wali.
According to Benjamin Hundeyin, the National spokesman for the Nigeria Police Force, the police never denied that people were kidnapped but had acted earlier “to douse tension.”
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State visited Kurmin Wali on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, which some locals believed was prompted by TruthNigeria’s report the previous day. During the visit, the governor promised to construct roads, build schools, and called on the military to establish a base in Kurmin Wali to ensure that terrorists are completely routed from the area.
Adara Development Association Speaks
Joel Onoma Mark, National President of the Adara Development Association, told TruthNigeria that the alleged suppression of information surrounding the Kurmin Wali kidnapping amounted to a betrayal by the Chairman of the Local Government Area.
“He (Dauda Madaki) let us down. This was a rare opportunity to tell the world, firsthand, the true story of the many brutal and gory realities our communities in Kajuru face,” Onoma said.
“The mass media hardly reports banditry or terrorist attacks from Kajuru; what we mostly hear are official government narratives about what has been done. Meanwhile, similar atrocities in other local governments receive wide coverage.”
“In simple terms, Madaki missed the most important moment to speak truthfully and forcefully for his people,” he added.
For residents of Kurmin Wali, the episode reinforced long-standing fears that attacks on Christian communities are often downplayed or denied by authorities—until evidence becomes impossible to suppress.
Mike Odeh James is a conflict reporter and he writes for TruthNigeria. Douglas Burton is the managing editor of TruthNigeria.
