Gunmen attacked a Baptist church in northwestern Nigeria on Sunday (May 7), kidnapping 25 worshippers, a religious official said Monday. The assailants broke into the church in Bege, Chikun area of Kaduna state, initially abducting forty people. However, fifteen of them managed to escape afterwards, Reverend Joseph Hayab, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna state, told Agence France-Presse. A Kaduna Police spokesperson confirmed the attack.
Kidnappings are rampant in northwestern and central Nigeria. The hostages are held in camps hidden in vast forests awaiting the payment of a ransom. This activity has become very lucrative. Abductions can also be an issue in the community struggle.
Last month, 33 people were killed by gunmen in a village in Kaduna state in an attack amid a conflict between herding and farming communities who are fighting over water resources and pastures.
Last year, assailants opened fire in a Catholic church in Ondo state (South West), killing at least forty people. Insecurity will be one of the main challenges for the new president, Bola Tinubu, who is due to take office at the end of the month.
