Nigeria admits more than 160 Christians kidnapped as Trump calls for coordinated terror fight

Nigerian authorities have admitted that more than 160 Christians were kidnapped during worship services Sunday after initially denying the simultaneous attacks on three churches.

"Subsequent verification from operational units and intelligence sources has confirmed that the incident did occur," Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesperson for the unit in northwestern Kaduna, Nigeria, state, said in a statement.

A state lawmaker, Usman Danlami Stingo, had told The Associated Press that 177 people were abducted during simultaneous in northwestern Kaduna, Nigeria, Sunday. Eleven reportedly escaped, while 168 are still missing, according to Stingo. The attacks reportedly took place at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), at another church belonging to the denomination Cherubim and Seraphim, and at a Catholic church. 

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Kaduna, Nigeria, State Police Commissioner Muhammad Rabiu initially described news reports of the attacks Monday as rumors, saying the police visited one of the three churches in the district of Kajuru and "there was no evidence of the attack."

Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Northern Christian Association of Nigeria, claimed on Nigerian broadcast network Africa Independent that the issue had become "politicized."

"I don't know the politics being played by the deniers, but this is quite sad. Whoever is asking for a list, we have shown them the list, let them tell us the list does not exist."

"This incident happened," he said. "All we want is for the security services to do is to go after them." 

The Chikun/Kajuru Active Citizens Congress (CKACC), a local advocacy group, published a list of hostages that has not been verified. 

Rights group Amnesty International condemned the "desperate denial" of the attack by the police and government.

"The latest mass abduction clearly shows President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups and gunmen that killed thousands of people," the group said in a statement.

In response to the recent kidnappings, a senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital, "President Trump made his position clear. Nigeria is facing a complex array of threats from terrorist groups and violent extremist organizations that is affecting wide portions of the country. We hope that the Nigerian government will work to take swift and immediate action in collaboration with the United States to address the violence that is affecting Christians, as well as countless other innocent civilians across Nigeria."

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Two Christian groups, Northern Christian Association of Nigeria and Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria (CSWN), said they sent representatives to the region to investigate, but they were turned away by military and local government officials. 

A local resident allegedly told CSWN that bandits had rounded up congregants and "forced them into a bush," later releasing elderly women and children. 

Kaduna State Police Commissioner Muhammad Rabiu said Monday police visited one of the three churches and "there was no evidence of the attack."

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He said the "rumors" were "sponsored by people who are not happy with the relative peace that Kajuru has been enjoying since the coming of this administration."

The kidnapping reports come just weeks after the U.S. carried out airstrikes against Islamist targets in northern Nigeria.

On Dec. 25, 2025, U.S. Africa Command confirmed it conducted precision strikes targeting Islamic State-linked militants in Sokoto State, a Muslim-majority region in northwest Nigeria. The Pentagon said the operation was carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities and was intended to degrade ISIS-West Africa Province capabilities. 

Officials said multiple militants were killed. 

The Christmas Day strikes marked one of the most significant U.S. military actions in Nigeria in recent years and came amid warnings from U.S. officials that ISIS affiliates were exploiting Nigeria's vast ungoverned spaces, porous borders and limited security presence in rural areas.

In recent months, armed groups have abducted hundreds of schoolgirls and students from multiple northern Nigerian schools, incidents that reignited U.S. political debate over whether the violence constitutes religious persecution or criminal banditry - and whether Nigeria's government is capable of protecting vulnerable populations. Religious freedom advocates and some U.S. lawmakers have urged stronger diplomatic and security engagement, arguing that repeated attacks on Christian communities are being minimized by Nigerian authorities.

Nigeria's government has consistently rejected claims of a coordinated campaign against Christians, insisting the violence is driven primarily by criminal groups seeking ransom rather than ideology. Security officials have warned that misinformation surrounding attacks risks inflaming tensions in already volatile regions.