ABUJA, Nigeria — The Southern and Middle Belt Leadership Forum, a coalition of prominent regional organisations, has condemned the abduction of more than 100 worshippers in Kurmin Wali community in Kaduna State.
The forum urged the Federal Government to deploy security resources to secure the release of the victims.
In a statement on Friday, January 23, 2026, the group said the worshippers, who are Christians, were taken from Kurmin Wali in Afogo Ward of Kajuru Local Government Area after gunmen attacked the community on Sunday.
It described the abducted residents as “law-abiding citizens” and called for their immediate rescue.
The statement was signed by Dr Bitrus Pogu, President of the Middle Belt Forum; HRM Oba Oladipo Olaitan, Leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leadership Forum and leader of Afenifere; John Azuta-Mbata, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide; and Godknows Igali, National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum.
“We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately deploy all necessary military and intelligence resources to secure the safe rescue of the abducted, law-abiding citizens of Kurmin Wali,” the statement said.
The abduction has drawn national attention and fuelled public debate after reports said gunmen attacked three churches in the area, taking away scores of worshippers.
The Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State first disclosed the incident.
Police authorities and the Kaduna State Government initially denied that such an attack occurred. Days later, the spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the incident “did happen”.
The Southern and Middle Belt Forum criticised those who dismissed or downplayed the reports, calling for sanctions against officials it accused of undermining rescue efforts.
“All public officials who denied or downplayed this crime must be suspended and thoroughly investigated for their roles in obstructing justice and endangering lives,” the statement said, describing the denials as a “grave act of incompetence” that gave kidnappers time to move victims to “remote terror enclaves”.
The group also linked the episode to renewed calls for the establishment of state police, describing the idea as overdue and urging the National Assembly to begin legislative work to enable it.
It called on Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State to establish and fund community-based vigilante formations in Southern Kaduna communities, describing them as a necessary first layer of defence against attacks.
The group also urged governors across the Middle Belt to create a joint regional security outfit, saying such a structure could improve intelligence sharing and enable rapid, coordinated responses.
Governor Sani, meanwhile, has assured residents that the abducted worshippers would be brought back safely.
“In the last two days, we have been collaborating with the relevant security agencies, both the military, the DSS, the police, and the Office of National Security Adviser to ensure the quick return and recovery of our people that were abducted in this very important community,” he said when he visited Kurmin Wali with senior officials and security chiefs to commiserate with the community.
