Confirming the development, the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, Rev. Joseph Hayab, said the incident occurred during Sunday worship.
Rev. Hayab, said that “he received a distress call from the CAN chairman in the affected area, informing him that worshippers from Cherubim and Seraphim Church 1 and Cherubim and Seraphim Church 2 were abducted during church services.”
According to Hayab, the attackers allegedly stormed the churches while worship was ongoing, shut the gates and forcefully marched congregants into the surrounding bushes.
He said eight of the abducted persons later escaped, while 163 worshippers were still unaccounted for as of Monday January 19, 2026.
“Security officers are already on top of the matter. We commend their efforts and urge them to do everything possible to rescue our brothers and sisters safely and unhurt,” Hayab said.
However, a security source, who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity, dismissed reports circulating online, describing them as contradictory and inaccurate.
“The information online is not true. Most of what is being reported did not happen the way it is being presented. There was no attack on any church,” the source said, adding that some narratives being circulated were irrelevant and inconsistent with available security intelligence.
Community members, on the other hand, maintained that armed men invaded the area on Sunday, allegedly abducting residents during the incident.
A local leader, who also requested anonymity, said families were still compiling the list of missing persons, noting that the number of abducted persons could be more than 100.
Residents alleged that the attackers arrived on motorcycles and operated for several minutes, blaming the incident on the absence of security personnel at the time.
Meanwhile, the security source said the military and other sister agencies, have launched a joint operation to rescue those abducted and track the perpetrators.
“The command, in collaboration with other security agencies, is working to ensure the safe rescue of all abducted persons and to bring the criminals to justice,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Kaduna state government nor the police command had issued a detailed official statement clarifying the incident.
