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Weeks after “heavily armed bandits” assaulted two church services, all of the worshippers kidnapped are now free.
The exact number of those taken is unclear, with figures ranging from 163 to 177. During such attacks some villagers go into hiding but are sometimes initially believed to have been captured. In other cases a person may have been captured but is able to make a swift escape and return to their family.
According to the BBC, 11 of those taken in the attack on Kurmin Wali on 18 January were able to escape shortly after capture, while 80 managed to escape and hid in another village.
The remaining captives returned to their homes around a week ago.
The authorities have not disclosed the circumstances of the release, although ransom demands by such groups are not uncommon.
Speaking to the BBC, Rev John Hayab, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Northern Nigeria, said that locals were “celebrating” the return of their families, friends and neighbours, who appear to be in generally good condition.
He added that people were “grateful to the government and security agencies for whatever they did and how they went about it”.
The news of the release was also welcomed by Mervyn Thomas, founder and president of religious liberty group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, who said he was “wishing them a swift and full recovery from their ordeal”.
Nigeria’s security services have been criticised for the frequent failure to prevent attacks – many of them on Christians – by Islamist militants and bandit groups.
In response, Nigerian president Bola Tinubu last year declared a state of emergency and announced the doubling of the police force. In addition, the Nigerian government permitted airstrikes by the US on Islamist camps in northern Nigeria.
The strikes were described by US President Donald Trump as an action to protect Nigeria’s Christians from endemic deadly violence.
