Gunmen kidnapped more than 170 Christian worshippers during Sunday services at three churches in northern Kaduna state on 18 January 2026. Authorities initially dismissed reports of the Nigeria mass kidnapping as false. A senior Christian clergy member and a village head informed AFP that dozens were taken by gangs known as bandits.

National police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the abduction late on 20 January 2026. He stated that security operations focus on rescuing victims and restoring calm. Hundeyin explained that earlier Kaduna police remarks aimed to avoid panic while verifying facts.

Insecurity and US Involvement

This Nigeria mass kidnapping follows a wave of abductions in Nigeria, including the release of hundreds of Catholic schoolchildren in neighbouring Niger state late in 2025. The country battles jihadists, bandits, and farmer-herder conflicts across its north since 2009. Analysts reject claims of targeted Christian persecution, noting violence affects both Muslims and Christians.

The US launched strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria last month, in December 2025, amid scrutiny over alleged mass killings of Christians. Nigeria provided intelligence for these strikes, but local and international journalists confirmed only civilian injuries. A Nigerian government source told AFP that future operations would involve US reconnaissance and Nigerian jets. "It should be a sustainable strike until every terror camp, until every terrorist, until every terror sponsor, until every terror supporter, until every terror hideout is completely wiped out," said Reverend Joseph Hayab, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria for the north, according to AFP.

Nigeria has hired a US lobbying firm for $750,000 per month to communicate its efforts against jihadists.

Reverend Joseph Hayab submitted a list of over 177 kidnapped individuals to authorities, emphasising the incident's scale. He told AFP that such a number could not be concealed.

Kabir Adamu of Beacon Security and Intelligence noted that security forces sometimes suppress incidents due to pressure. The Nigerian government and independent analysts, as cited by AFP, reject the framing of violence as Christian persecution.

US President Donald Trump backtracked on the strikes being one-off, stating "if they continue to kill Christians it will be a many-time strike," according to AFP. No further responses from Kaduna state authorities were detailed as of 20 January 2026.