Gunmen have abducted at least 20 people, including a pastor and a new bride, in two separate attacks in the latest Nigerian kidnappings.
Attackers stormed the newly established Cherubim and Seraphim Church on Sunday in the central Kogi state, firing shots and forcing congregants to flee in panic. They seized the pastor, his wife, and several worshippers.
In another raid the night before in the northern Sokoto state, a bride and her bridesmaids were among those kidnapped. A baby, the baby's mother, and another woman were also taken, the AFP news agency reports.
Schools and places of worship have increasingly been targeted in the latest wave of attacks in north and central Nigeria.
It is not clear who is behind the kidnappings - most analysts believe they are carried out by criminal gangs seeking ransom payments; however, a presidential spokesman has told the BBC they believe they are the work of jihadist groups.
Kogi state government spokesman Kingsley Fanwo confirmed the attack in Ejiba to the BBC but was unable to confirm the numbers. He stated, 'The security network, comprising the conventional security agencies and the local security architecture are currently doing what they should do.'
In the attack in the mostly Muslim Sokoto state, local media reported that the bride was preparing for a wedding ceremony the following morning and was seized alongside her friends and other guests who had come to support her.
Some 250 schoolchildren and 12 teachers are still believed to be missing after the biggest attack in recent weeks, while those seized in other raids have reportedly been released.
This spate of abductions has raised alarms about the vulnerability of rural communities and has amplified pressure on the authorities to enhance protection measures for those at risk—including schools, churches, and isolated communities. Paying ransoms has been outlawed in an attempt to combat the lucrative kidnapping industry, yet it is widely believed that such payments continue.
Nigeria's security crisis received international attention last month after US President Donald Trump threatened to send troops if the government 'continues to allow the killing of Christians.' Nigerian officials contend that people of all faiths fall victim to violence and kidnappings, challenging the narrative that only Christians are targeted.
