US has raised the alarm over Kaduna church abductions as 166 worshippers remain in captivity.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the United States has expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s capacity to protect Christian communities following the abduction of more than 170 worshippers in Kaduna State, amid reports that armed bandits were seen moving freely through forest corridors with their captives days after coordinated church attacks.
Gunmen stormed three churches in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area, on Sunday, abducting at least 177 worshippers. Eleven later escaped, while 166 remain in captivity. Local sources confirmed that the attackers retreated unhindered into nearby forests, a pattern that has become increasingly familiar in Southern Kaduna.
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The warning from Washington came as a high-level US delegation arrived in Nigeria on Thursday for a week-long diplomatic engagement focused on counterterrorism and the protection of vulnerable religious groups. The visit forms part of the United States–Nigeria Joint Working Group and was co-chaired by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of heightened diplomatic tension after US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations. The Federal Government has consistently rejected claims of systemic persecution, maintaining that insecurity affects Nigerians across religious lines.
Speaking after the meeting, Hooker said recent attacks showed that Christian communities in parts of northern Nigeria remained dangerously exposed despite ongoing security operations.
“While there has been progress in securing the release of abducted Christians in other states, we are deeply concerned by reports that more than 170 Christians were kidnapped in Kaduna on January 18,” she said. “The government of Nigeria must do more to protect Christians and ensure they can practice their faith freely and safely.”
Hooker added that advancing religious freedom and security would strengthen broader US–Nigeria cooperation in areas such as trade, economic development, health and counterterrorism.
Meanwhile, fresh field reports indicated that the abductors of the Kurmin Wali worshippers were sighted trekking with their victims between Ungwan Gamu and Maro communities, using forest routes long associated with bandit hideouts. Community leaders said the attackers demanded the return of 17 motorcycles allegedly seized during recent military operations as a condition for releasing the captives.
Responding, NSA Nuhu Ribadu acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, assuring that the Federal Government had intensified joint military operations, intelligence coordination and investigations into attacks on religious communities.
“Nigeria is a deeply plural society, and the protection of all citizens—Christians, Muslims and others—is non-negotiable,” Ribadu said, adding that violence framed along religious lines would be treated as an attack on the Nigerian state.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the engagement with US officials reflected sustained efforts to deepen security partnerships and deliver tangible results. He noted that intelligence sharing and operational coordination had strengthened ongoing operations such as Operation Hadin Kai and Operation Fasan Yamma.
The abductions have continued to draw condemnation from civil society and regional groups, who criticised initial denials by state authorities and warned that weak early-warning systems and ungoverned forest spaces were enabling criminal networks.
As rescue efforts continue, the Kaduna incident has renewed domestic and international scrutiny of Nigeria’s security architecture and its ability to protect vulnerable communities from escalating banditry and mass abductions.
