Leaders and members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, held a solemn prayer gathering on Sunday for the safe return of 177 worshippers abducted from churches in the Kurmin Wali community, one week after the mass kidnapping.
The event at Tawaliu Baptist Church, Maraban Kajuru drew clergy and lay Christians from across Kaduna State and other parts of northern Nigeria as families of the abducted continued to anxiously await news of their loved ones.
The victims, who belonged to Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) and Cherubim and Seraphim Movement congregations, were seized during morning services when armed men stormed the community and forced congregants into nearby forests. While some worshippers later managed to escape, the majority remain in captivity.
Addressing the congregation, Rev. Joseph Hayab, the Chairman of CAN in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, called on church leaders to take a more active role in safeguarding their premises.
“We have been praying and watching instead of watching and praying. The church must wake up,” Hayab said, stressing the need for stronger internal security and vigilance around places of worship.
Hayab urged congregations to put basic monitoring measures in place to better detect suspicious activities around church compounds. He described the current security situation in Kajuru as disturbing, lamenting that repeated attacks on communities and religious centres had become “unacceptable and required urgent collective action.”
At the same gathering, Rev. Enoch Kaura, Chairman of CAN in Kajuru Local Government Area, reiterated the purpose of the prayers, to seek “divine intervention for the safe return of the abducted worshippers” and to beg for wisdom for government and security agencies in tackling insecurity in the region.
Kaura also criticised what he described as the initial denial of the abduction by government authorities, which he said “undermined the accounts of victims, families, clergy and eyewitnesses.” He traced the roots of insecurity in Kajuru to longstanding communal conflicts, noting that the area has faced a history of violence and abductions, including past attacks on churches, the killing of local leaders, and the abduction or killing of pastors and their families.
“You cannot separate spiritual wellbeing and physical security in our communities,” Kaura said, stressing his view that both the church and the government must act in concert to protect lives.
The prayer session was also attended by the Kaduna State Chairman of CAN, Rev. Caleb Ma’aji, and bishops and clergy from various Christian denominations, reinforcing the collective call for peace and intensified efforts to secure the abductees’ release.
