Dozens of worshippers taken from two churches in the Kurmin Wali community in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have told their terrible stories about being held captive by bandits.
The victims were taken hostage on January 18, 2026, about 9 a.m. when they were at church in the area. According to Daily Trust, they were freed yesterday after being held for two weeks.
Hosea Madami, one of the people that was rescued, told our reporter that they were abused all the time.
“We went through a lot in the woods. They hit me on the head and hands. They fed us like dogs, giving us very little food to hold. He said, “There was no salt, so the food didn’t taste good.”
Madami said they had to walk for days in bad weather.
“We walked in the woods for almost six days. They kept hitting us with sticks. “Honestly, we went through a lot,” he remarked.
Rebecca Josiah, another victim, noted that starvation was one of the worst things about being held captive.
“I only ate four times in the two weeks we were in the woods.” They put kunu and sometimes tuwo in our palms, she continued.
She said that even the small amount of food they gave her was hard to deal with.
“If it was too hot, you had to pour it on your clothes. We had a terrible time in their hands. She said, “The little kids kept crying because they were hungry.”
Rebecca also mentioned that they had to walk barefoot for days.
“We went for days without shoes in the woods. My feet got inflamed, and I trod on thorns. She responded, “But we thank God that we made it back safely.”
Philomena Jonathan, another victim, reported that the captors didn’t provide them any food and beat the males a lot.
A woman who didn’t want to give her name said that they weren’t permitted to bathe while they were in the woods.
“We slept by a river, but we couldn’t bathe at all,” she remarked.
She went on to say that coughing or weeping often led to punishment.
“If you coughed, the men beat you, especially the males. “When little kids cried too much, they said they would kill them if they didn’t stop,” she added.
Theresa Irimiya, a pregnant victim, indicated that her condition kept her from being physically abused.
“They didn’t beat me after they caught us because I was pregnant.” “They left me alone and then told me to take the little kids home,” she added.
She was one of the first victims to be freed a few days after the event.
An older woman also talked about her experience, claiming she was afraid and hid in the woods.
“I was scared and hid in the bushes for days when they came.” “I came out later and ran to another settlement,” she added.
She thanked the authorities for making their rescue possible.
A neighborhood elder who asked to remain anonymous told our reporter that the kidnapped believers were freed late on Wednesday.
He said that between 11 p.m. on Wednesday and midnight, big trucks were seen driving into a forest near Maro town. They came back with the kidnapped people between 1 and 2 a.m. yesterday.
It wasn’t obvious right away if a ransom was paid to get the victims back or if the motorcycles that the kidnappers wanted were given to them.
Reports from previously said that 177 people were kidnapped during the attack, and 11 of them got away the same day. Two weeks later, reports say that 80 more victims, most of them were youngsters who had also escaped during the onslaught, were found hiding in woodland communities.
Ishaku Dan’azumi, the village chief of Kurmin Wali, praised the Kaduna State Government and security services for their work in making sure the abductees came back safely after the last group of victims was released.
He told our reporter over the phone, “We are happy, and they are all with the government right now.”
Dan’azumi said that people who were freed included children, women, and men, but he didn’t give any more information.
Our reporter saw that most of the victims that were rescued seemed quite tired, and several of them were limping because they were so tired.
Governor Uba Sani says all kidnapped people have been found.
Uba Sani, the governor of Kaduna State, said that all 183 people who were kidnapped from Kurmin Wali had been found safe.
Sani, who spoke shortly after receiving the victims at the Government House, said that the state government worked together with federal authorities and security agencies to make sure that everyone who was kidnapped came back safely.
The governor said, “Today, I can say without a doubt that everyone who was taken from Kurmin Wali has come back.”
He said that kidnappers first took 183 people, and that 11 were freed early on and sent to the hospital. 83 people came back a few days ago, and the last 89 were recovered yesterday morning.
He said, “The total is 183, and if even one person were still missing, we wouldn’t be here.”
The governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for being personally involved in the rescue efforts and said that the president stayed in touch with them the whole time.
The governor remarked, “For us, even one person being kidnapped is unacceptable.” He also said that the state did not want to make the situation political.
“That’s why we didn’t want to make the situation political or get into fights with the media over numbers. “Our goal was clear: to make sure that everyone got home safely,” he said.
Sani said that he had told the federal government that a military camp needed to be built in the Kajuru–Kachia axis to stop future assaults. He called the area a long-standing security flashpoint.
He stated, “I’m happy to tell you that Mr. President has promised that this request will be granted.”
The governor also said that the state government had started building infrastructure in Kurmin Wali, such as an access road. Plans are also in the works to develop a hospital and a skills acquisition center in the village.
Sani said that the victims who were rescued will not go home right away. Instead, they will first get medical and mental health care in Kaduna.
The governor asked the public to keep helping the police and other security agencies, pointing out the dangers they confront every day.
“Every day, these men and women put their lives on the line to keep us safe. “It’s not fair to attack their honesty when things go wrong, but then depend on them when danger is near,” he remarked.
CAN says it is happy
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) was relieved that all of the worshippers who had been kidnapped from the Kurmin Wali community were released safely. They called the news a “significant moment of grace, healing, and resolution” for the community after the horrific event.
Rev. Joseph John Hayab, the Chairman of Northern CAN, praised Governor Uba Sani’s strong leadership in a statement. He said that Sani was a leader who listened to the people and acted quickly when they cried out, unlike in the past when communities were often ignored or scared during similar crises.
He said that the safe return of the worshippers shows that the government and security agencies are working effectively together and that the community is strong and has confidence.
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