Woman escapes kidnapping from Nigerian church

Sarah Peter had a giant plaster on her head to stop the bleeding from the gunman’s weapon.

Sarah (not her real name) was in church in a village in northern Nigeria on Sunday morning when attackers stormed the church, kidnapping worshipers and taking them away on foot.

To encourage her to move, a rifle was used to crack the 60-year-old’s skull.

“There’s blood everywhere,” she said, running her fingers over the wounds.

“I’m in pain,” she added, clearly still traumatized by what happened three days ago.

“Even when I told them I couldn’t walk, they still dragged me. Then I hid somewhere until I couldn’t see them anymore. I was so weak that I had to crawl back to the village.”

Dozens of others were taken away from her chapter of the Church of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement and two other churches in the village of Kurminwali, 135 kilometers (84 miles) north of the capital Abuja.

Although 11 people, including Sarah, managed to escape, more than 160 people are still missing, according to the local chapter of the Christian Council of Nigeria.

The remaining villagers are distraught and fear more attacks.

Authorities have not released any figures for the missing.

Kurmin Wali, close to Rijana Forest in Kaduna State, is a hideout for armed gangs, known here as “bandits”, who have been carrying out attacks and kidnappings in the area.

No group has said it was behind Sunday’s attack, but it is part of a wider security crisis in Nigeria where kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common.

Paying kidnappers is illegal in Nigeria, but it is often suspected that money is given to free a kidnapped person. In this case, no ransom demands were reported.

International attention has grown on the issue since US President Donald Trump claimed last year that Christians were being targeted and killed in record numbers. Last month, the U.S. military carried out airstrikes against suspected Islamist militant camps in northwest Nigeria.

Nigerian officials deny that Christians are discriminated against because of their faith and say Muslims, Christians and people without religious affiliation have all been affected by the insecurity.

The atmosphere in Kurmin Wali is filled with tension and anger.

The village chief said people have been living in fear for some time. Local residents have been urging authorities to tighten security and accused them of trying to suppress information after Sunday’s raid.

There was chaos in the forty-eight hours after the attack, with officials initially denying and later denying that anything had happened despite eyewitness reports. Tuesday night events finalized.

“They told us not to reveal any information, they wanted to intimidate us, but we have to tell our stories. They also prevented some journalists from coming to the town,” said a young man in his 20s who asked not to be named.

It was unclear why authorities were reluctant to reveal the information, but Kaduna state governor Uba Sani told the BBC officials wanted to confirm details before making any statements.

However, this does not explain why the local police chief and a state official initially denied that any attack had taken place, describing the reports as “pure lies spread by conflict entrepreneurs who want to sow chaos.”

The BBC also faced difficulties after a politician and security personnel tried to block access to the village of Kurminvali.

But we managed to get through, and once inside we found chaos in the building of the Church of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement. Colorful plastic chairs were slumped, prayer books were scattered on the floor and musical instruments were broken, as if the moments after the attack had been frozen in time.

Nearby, Christopher Yohanna looked forlornly at his two-year-old daughter. He said he managed to escape the attackers with his children.

“We were in the church when we heard shouts. When we came out and tried to escape, we saw that gunmen had surrounded the village.”

He was lucky not to be caught, but he was sad because his two wives and other children were not so lucky.

“If my family is not with me, then my life has no value and no joy,” he said.

Three days after the attack, Governor Sani came to Kurmin Valley and promised to build a military base, a hospital and a road in the area. He also announced relief measures for affected residents, including medical support.

He told the BBC: “We can’t relocate them because they have to farm… but to make sure we protect them moving forward, we need to build a military base around the area between that village and the Rijana forest.”

He also said efforts were underway to work with security agencies to rescue those still in captivity.

“When we met (the villagers), I confirmed that we stand with them… We will not let any of them down.”

Residents of Kurmin Valley are anxiously awaiting the return of their families and they hope the governor will keep his promise.