Gunmen reportedly kidnapped 40 worshippers from a church in a remote village in northern Nigeria on Monday, according to a local Christian group.
Armed gangs known locally as bandits have kidnapped people from villages, schools, and highways in the northwest, where government security is weakest.
According to Reverend Joseph John Hayan, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kaduna state, gunmen opened fire on worshippers at the Bege Baptist Church in Madala village, Chikun local government area, on Sunday.
Chikun is one of two areas in Kaduna where armed gangs looking for ransom are particularly active.
According to Hayan, 15 of the kidnapped people escaped their captors on Sunday night.
We haven’t received any ransom demands or other communication from the gunmen regarding the remaining hostages, and we’re hoping that the kidnappers will be merciful and return the remaining 25 hostages to their families, as Hayan put it.
