In Nigeria, gunmen kidnapped 25 people from a church

A religious official said on Monday that gunmen attacked a Baptist church in northwest Nigeria on Sunday (May 7) and kidnapped 25 worshipers. The attackers stormed the church in Beg, Chikun District, Kaduna State, and initially abducted forty people. But Rev. Joseph Hayab, president of the Nigerian Christian Association in Kaduna state, told AFP that 15 of them managed to escape after that. A Kaduna police spokesman confirmed the attack.

Kidnappings are rampant in northwest and central Nigeria. The hostages are being held in camps hidden in vast forests awaiting ransom payments. This activity has become very profitable. Kidnappings can also be an issue in community conflict.

Last month, gunmen killed 33 people in a village in Kaduna state in an attack amid conflict between herding and farming communities fighting over water resources and pastures.

Last year, attackers opened fire on a Catholic church in Ondo state (southwest), killing at least forty people. Insecurity will be one of the main challenges for the new president, Bola Tinubu, who is due to take office at the end of the month.