…the abducted Catholic priest is the parish priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Karku.
Kaduna, Nigeria – The iNews Times reports that suspected bandits have kidnapped a Catholic priest and 11 other persons and killed three residents in coordinated attacks on communities in Kauru and Kagarko Local Government Areas of Kaduna State.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Kafanchan confirmed that the abducted Catholic priest is Rev. Fr. Nathaniel Asuwaye, the parish priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Karku, who was taken during a deadly early-morning attack on Karku community in Kauru LGA on Saturday.
According to residents, the attackers stormed the community at about 3:20 a.m., firing sporadically and abducting Fr. Asuwaye alongside 10 other villagers, while killing three persons during the raid.
The Chancellor of the Kafanchan Diocese, Rev. Fr. Jacob Shanet, announced the abduction in a statement, identifying the victims killed in the attack as Jacob Dan’azumi, Maitala Kaura, and Alhaji Kusari.
“This terrible event has resulted in the killing of three people, aside from those abducted,” Shanet said, calling on Christians and people of goodwill to pray for the safe release of the victims.
He added that the bandits invaded the Catholic priest’s residence and nearby homes, leaving the community gripped by fear and uncertainty.
Reacting to the incident, the Chairman of the Northern Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayab, described the Kaduna attacks as another grim reminder of the worsening security situation in the region.
“This is a sad story. The kidnapping of Christian priests and innocent citizens is becoming unbearable despite all efforts to curb this evil,” Hayab said.
Meanwhile, in a related attack in Kagarko Local Government Area, bandits also abducted the Chief Imam of Janjala Central Mosque, Bello Abdullahi, and a Fulani community leader, Shehu Bello.
Community sources said the attackers invaded several villages, including Iddo, Gidan-Makeri, Kohoto, and Janjala, abducting residents, rustling cattle, and forcing many villagers to flee their homes.
A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attackers were heavily armed with AK-47 rifles, adding that the most recent assault occurred around 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
“They went straight to the house of the chief imam and took him away. From there, they moved to the house of the Fulani leader. That was when people started running for their lives,” the source said.
Security sources at the Kaduna State Police Command confirmed that a joint team of security operatives engaged the attackers in gun battles in the Kauru axis, expressing optimism that the bandits would be apprehended.
Residents said panic spread across the affected areas, with many families fleeing to Kagarko town and Sabon-Wuse, while others reportedly spent the night in the bush.
The abductions reportedly followed a seven-day ultimatum issued by the bandits, demanding a ₦6 million ransom for a previously kidnapped woman and her four children, a deadline community leaders said expired without security intervention.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation on the Kaduna Attacks from the police proved unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report.
