Gunmen killed three people and abducted a Catholic priest and several others during an early-morning raid on a church residence in Nigeria’s northwestern Kaduna state, church officials and police said on Sunday, in the latest attack to underscore persistent insecurity in the region.
The assault occurred at about 3:20 a.m. (0220 GMT) on Saturday in Kauru district, when armed men stormed the residence of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the village of Karku, according to a statement by the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan.
The diocese identified the kidnapped clergyman as Rev. Nathaniel Asuwaye, the parish priest of the church. It said 10 other people were abducted during the attack and three residents were killed as the gunmen opened fire and fled with their captives.
Kaduna police confirmed the incident but gave a different account of the casualties and abductions. A police spokesperson said five people were taken, including the priest, and said the three people killed were two soldiers and one police officer who responded to the attack.
“What happened was that five people were kidnapped including the chief priest,” the spokesperson said. He added that security forces pursued the attackers, exchanged gunfire with them and cordoned off the area.
“Security agents engaged the bandits, killed some of them, and unfortunately two soldiers and a police officer lost their lives in the process,” he said.
Saturday’s assault came just days after security services rescued all 166 worshippers abducted in coordinated attacks on two churches elsewhere in Kaduna state, highlighting the frequency of large-scale kidnappings and raids in the area despite military operations.
Kaduna and other parts of northern Nigeria have been plagued for years by armed groups who carry out raids on villages, churches and highways, abducting civilians for ransom and killing residents and security personnel. Rural communities have been especially vulnerable, with attacks often occurring at night or in the early morning.
The violence has drawn international attention. U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Nigeria’s government of failing to protect Christians, a charge Abuja has repeatedly denied, insisting that attacks affect all communities regardless of religion.
U.S. forces struck what they described as terrorist targets in northwestern Nigeria on 25 December, in an operation Washington said was aimed at weakening armed groups operating in the region.
Human rights group Amnesty International said on Sunday that Nigeria’s security crisis was “increasingly getting out of hand,” accusing the government of “gross incompetence” and a failure to protect civilians as gunmen continue to kill, abduct and terrorize communities across several northern states, including Kaduna.
As of Sunday, there was no official confirmation of contact with the abductors or whether ransom demands had been made. Security forces said search-and-rescue operations were ongoing.
