Nigeria Christian group disputes army rescue claim in Kaduna church attack

By Garba Muhammad

KADUNA, Nigeria, April 6 (Reuters) – A Nigerian Christian group on Monday disputed an assertion by the army that it had rescued 31 people who were abducted by armed men in northern Kaduna state, saying that the victims remained in captivity.

The Nigerian Army said on Sunday that troops had freed the civilians after gunmen stormed a church in Ariko village in Kaduna’s Kachia district, while five people were found dead at the scene.

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) chairman for the northern region, Reverend John Joseph Hayab, denied any rescue had taken place.

“Yes, the military are doing their best to get them back home, but it is not fair for the military to claim that the victims have been rescued,” Hayab told Reuters by phone.

“Now we have misinformation. When we are busy denying, we are just giving the bandits the opportunity to strike and go freely,” he added.

The Kurtumi Unity Development Association, a local resident group in Ariko, also dismissed the army’s assertion, saying it was “entirely false, misleading and does not reflect the current situation”.

Local resident and former Ariko village head Iliya Audu put the final death toll at seven, not five, and said the burials had been held on Monday.

“We are just returning from the burial of those killed. No single soul was rescued,” said Audu.

The Nigerian Army and Defence Headquarters did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Monday.

CAN has previously challenged official accounts of kidnappings, including last November when it disputed security forces’ figures following the abduction of students from a Catholic school in Niger state. 

Nigeria is under scrutiny from U.S. President Donald Trump who says that Christians are being persecuted, which the government denies.

(Additional reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja, Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe, Editing by Gareth Jones)