Gunmen attack two churches in Kaduna, kill seven, abduct several

Suspected terrorists have reportedly attacked two churches in Ariko, in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing at least seven people and abducting several others.

According to a report by Punch, the assault took place in the early hours of Sunday during Easter celebrations, throwing the community into panic.

The affected worship centres are First ECWA Church and St. Augustine Catholic Church, both located within Ariko.

A councillor representing the area, Mark Bawa, confirmed the incident, noting that casualty figures were still being verified. He said initial reports indicated that at least seven people were killed, adding that he was on his way to the community to assess the full extent of the attack.

Bawa also attributed the scale of the violence to poor telecommunications coverage in the area, which may have delayed a timely response from security agencies.

As of the time of the report, details regarding the number of abducted victims and any security intervention remained unclear.

Efforts to reach the Kaduna State Police Command for comment were unsuccessful.

The command’s spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, an assistant superintendent of police, did not respond to calls placed to his official line, and a message sent to him had yet to receive a reply.