Nigerian Troops Rescue 31 Easter Worshippers After Deadly Church Attack in Kaduna.
They came to worship. They were taken hostage. Nigeria’s security crisis is deepening.
ABUJA — Nigerian troops rescued 31 worshippers abducted during Easter services in northwestern Kaduna state, the military said, following a deadly attack that left at least five people dead and underscored the country’s worsening security crisis.
Gunmen raided a Catholic and an evangelical church in the village of Ariko, about 100 kilometers north of the capital, according to local officials and the Nigerian military. Troops responding to the attack engaged the assailants in a firefight, forcing them to abandon hostages and flee.
The military said five victims were killed during the assault, while local church leaders placed the toll at seven, reflecting the uncertainty that often surrounds such incidents in remote areas.
The attack occurred despite heightened security measures ordered for Easter, including increased deployments around places of worship. It highlights the persistent vulnerability of civilians in regions where armed groups operate with relative freedom.
Kaduna state lies at the center of a broader security challenge facing Nigeria, where criminal gangs known as bandits carry out raids, kidnappings and extortion. While primarily motivated by financial gain, these groups have increasingly shown signs of coordination with jihadist factions active in the country’s northeast, blurring the line between organized crime and insurgency.
Authorities did not clarify whether the attackers were affiliated with militant groups or bandit networks, referring to them broadly as “terrorists.” The ambiguity reflects a wider problem for Nigerian security forces, which face overlapping threats that are difficult to categorize and contain.
The incident follows a pattern of large-scale abductions targeting religious gatherings. In January, more than 170 worshippers were kidnapped from churches in Kaduna, with many released only after weeks of negotiations.
Elsewhere in the northwest, the military reported killing at least 65 suspected bandits in Zamfara state during a separate operation described as a “major breakthrough.” Yet such tactical gains have done little to stem the broader trend of escalating violence.
The continued attacks have drawn international attention, including comments from Donald Trump, who has alleged widespread persecution of Christians in Nigeria—claims that Nigerian officials have disputed in the past.
The latest assault underscores a central tension. Security operations are producing localized successes, including hostage rescues and militant casualties. But the frequency and scale of attacks suggest that the underlying drivers of violence—weak governance, economic distress and fragmented security control—remain largely unaddressed.
For civilians in Kaduna and beyond, the result is a security environment where even major religious holidays no longer offer protection.
