Woman escapes abduction in church in Nigeria

There is a large plaster on Sarah Peter’s head to stop the bleeding caused by the gunman’s weapon.

Sarah, not her real name, was in a church in a village in northern Nigeria on Sunday morning when attackers stormed the compound to abduct worshipers and take them on foot.

The 60-year-old was hit in the skull with a rifle to encourage him to act.

“There’s blood all over,” he said, his fingers spreading over the wound.

“I’m suffering,” he added, clearly still traumatized by what happened three days ago.

“They dragged me even though I told them I couldn’t walk. Then I hid somewhere until I couldn’t see them anymore. I was so weak I had to crawl back to the village.”

Several others were taken from his branch of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church and two other churches in Kurmin Wali, a village 135km (84 miles) north of the capital, Abuja.

Although 11 people escaped, including Sarah, more than 160 people are still unaccounted for, according to the local branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

The remaining villagers were left devastated and terrified by the many attacks.

Authorities have not released a figure for the missing.

Kurmin Wali near Kaduna state’s Rijana forest, is a hideout for armed gangs, known here as “bandits”, who carry out raids and kidnappings in the region.

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

Paying kidnappers is illegal in Nigeria but it is often suspected that the money is handed over to release the abductees. In this case, no ransom demand was reported.

There has been increasing international focus on the issue after US President Donald Trump accused last year that Christians were being targeted and killed in record numbers. Last month, the US military conducted air strikes on camps of suspected Islamist militants in northwestern Nigeria.

Nigerian officials denied that Christians were singled out for their faith, and said Muslims, Christians and those of no religion were all affected by the insecurity.

There is an air of tension and anger in Kurmin Wali.

The village leader said that people have been living in fear for a long time. Local residents urged the authorities to improve security and accused them of trying to suppress information after Sunday’s attack.

Forty-eight hours of confusion followed the attack as officials initially denied anything had happened, despite eyewitness reports, only to the events of Tuesday night were finally confirmed.

“They told us not to give any information, they want to scare us but we have to tell our story. They also prevented some journalists from coming to the city,” said a young man in his 20s, who wanted to remain anonymous.

It is unclear why the authorities may have been reluctant to release the news, but Kaduna state governor Uba Sani told the BBC that officials wanted to confirm the details first before making any statements.

However, that does not explain why the local police chief and a state official initially denied that there had been any attack, describing the reports as “mere lies peddled by conflict traders who want to cause chaos”.

The BBC also faced difficulties in reaching Kurmin Wali, after a politician and security personnel tried to block access to the village.

But we managed to get through and when we got inside, we found a scene of chaos in the construction of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church. Colorful plastic chairs were on their sides, prayer books were scattered on the floor and musical instruments were broken, as if the moment after the attack was frozen in time.

Nearby, Christopher Yohanna looked sadly at his two-year-old daughter. He said that he was able to escape from the attackers with his son.

“We were in the church when we heard a scream. When we came out and tried to run, we saw that the armed men had already 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 is worthless and without any happiness,” he said.

Governor Sani was in Kurmin Wali three days after the attack, promising to build a military base, hospital and road in the area. He also announced relief measures for affected residents, including medical support.

“We can’t move them because they have to farm… but to make sure we can protect them going forward, we have to have a military base around that area between that village and the Rijana forest,” he told the BBC.

He also said that efforts are being made to cooperate with security agencies to rescue those still in captivity.

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

While the residents of Kurmin Wali anxiously await the return of their family members, they hope that the governor will keep his word.