At least 13 worshippers were kidnapped after armed men attacked a church in Nigeria’s central Kogi State, a state official confirmed on Wednesday, highlighting growing insecurity in the region.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said the gunmen stormed the First ECWA Church in the remote Ayetoro-Kiri community on Sunday, triggering a shootout with local hunters deployed by the state as a frontline security measure.
Four of the attackers were killed during the clash, while at least 10 others were injured. Security forces are still pursuing the fleeing kidnappers, Fanwo added.
The incident is the latest in a wave of abductions across central Nigeria, increasing pressure on the government amid international scrutiny. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously threatened military action, citing what he described as the persecution of Christians in the country.
In a related incident, more than 12 staff members were abducted on November 21 from a Catholic boarding school in Papiri, also in central Nigeria.
While 50 students were rescued within hours and another 100 were freed on December 8, several victims remain in captivity, with no information on their condition or whereabouts.
Fanwo said security operations in Kogi State have been intensified in an effort to secure the release of those still being held.
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