ABUJA, Nigeria — Joseph Hayab, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the northern region, on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 criticised security agencies for initially disputing reports of a mass abduction in Kaduna State, saying the response had worsened public mistrust and may have hindered rescue efforts.
Mr. Hayab spoke hours after the Nigeria Police Force confirmed the kidnapping of worshippers in Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area, following days of conflicting official statements.
“The manner the police commissioner and other security agencies came out to outrightly say that this thing did not happen to me it’s a total disappointment, a total failure, and it’s just increased the lack of trust that exists between the people and those who are securing them,” Mr. Hayab said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Reports of the abduction made headlines on Sunday, with claims that more than 100 people were taken during attacks in Kurmin Wali.
The Kaduna State government and security agencies initially said the incident had not occurred. But late Tuesday, the spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the police had verified that the abduction took place.
“Verification from operational units and intelligence sources has confirmed that the incident did occur,” Mr. Hundeyin said in a statement.
Mr. Hundeyin said comments by the Kaduna Police Command were intended to prevent public alarm while authorities sought clarification.
“Those remarks, which have since been widely misinterpreted, were not a denial of the incident but a measured response pending confirmation of details from the field, including the identities and number of those affected,” he said.
Mr. Hayab, however, said the initial denials had cost valuable time.
“Look at the time they were using in denial. That time they’re supposed to be using for pursuing the bandits, but they chose to allow the bandits to have gone far before they are coming to acknowledge that the information we give them is true and remain true,” he said.
The abduction is the latest in a series of mass kidnappings in northern Nigeria, according to Channels Television.
