Armed gangs stormed three churches in Kaduna state’s Kajuru council area during Sunday morning services, abducting more than 170 worshippers, local leaders report. Eleven people, including four children, escaped.

No group has claimed responsibility.

The incident forms part of a wider pattern of mass kidnappings in northern and central Nigeria, where criminal gangs commonly abduct civilians for ransom and loot settlements.

Large-scale religiously located abductions risk exacerbating communal tensions and undermine freedom of religion and security of worshippers.

Sources: local Kaduna council leader reports and regional kidnapping trend context.