In a disturbing recurrence of violence targeting religious institutions, armed assailants have abducted at least 13 worshippers from Evangelical Church Winning All in Nigeria’s central Kogi state. The attack occurred during Sunday morning services in the rural farming community of Aaaaz-Kiri, marking the second church kidnapping in the region within a fortnight.
According to Kogi State Information Commissioner Kingsley Fanwo, security forces engaged the perpetrators, resulting in five gunmen fatalities while others escaped with injuries. The official described the attackers as ‘bandits’—a local term for criminal organizations that routinely conduct kidnappings for ransom payments.
This incident follows a nearly identical abduction two weeks prior in nearby Ejiba, where gunmen captured a pastor, his wife, and several congregants who remain in captivity despite security intervention efforts. Commissioner Fanwo attributed the escalating violence to displacement effects from security operations in neighboring Niger and Kwara states, suggesting intensified pressure there is pushing criminal elements toward Kogi.
These events highlight Nigeria’s deepening security crisis, particularly across northwestern and central regions where armed groups have executed numerous mass abductions, village raids, and assaults on religious venues. The most significant recent incident involved the reported kidnapping of over 250 children and 12 staff members from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger state, during late November.
While the Nigerian government frequently attributes such attacks to jihadist organizations like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), independent analysts contest this narrative, providing evidence to the BBC that criminal gangs are primarily responsible.
President Bola Tinubu has recently directed security chiefs to enhance intelligence-led operations against kidnappings, authorizing additional troop and police deployments to identified hotspots. Authorities report some success through joint military-police task forces in dismantling certain armed groups. Nevertheless, attacks persist with alarming frequency, especially in rural areas where security presence remains limited and response capabilities are inadequate.