Gunmen have killed three people and abducted a Catholic priest along with several others during a pre-dawn raid on a clergyman’s residence in northern Nigeria’s Kaduna state, deepening fears over the worsening security crisis across the region.
The attack happened in the early hours of Saturday in Kauru district, when armed men stormed the home of the parish priest at around 3:20 a.m. According to the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, the assailants kidnapped Reverend Father Nathaniel Asuwaye of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Karku, along with up to ten other people. The diocese confirmed that three residents lost their lives during the assault.
For many Nigerians at home and across the diaspora, particularly those with family ties to Kaduna and neighbouring states, the news is another painful reminder of how insecurity continues to disrupt daily life, worship and community safety. Churches, homes and rural villages have increasingly become targets, leaving families anxious and communities traumatised.
Kaduna State Police confirmed the incident but gave a slightly different account, saying five people were abducted and that those killed were members of the security forces responding to the attack. A police spokesperson said officers exchanged gunfire with the attackers, killing some of them, but that two soldiers and one police officer were also killed in the confrontation.
The assault comes just days after security services rescued all 166 worshippers abducted in separate attacks on two churches elsewhere in Kaduna, a rare moment of relief in a region that has seen years of violence linked to banditry, kidnappings and armed criminal groups. Despite those rescues, Saturday’s attack underlines how fragile security gains remain.
International attention has increasingly focused on Nigeria’s security challenges. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians, an allegation the government in Abuja has strongly rejected. In December, U.S. forces said they carried out strikes on what they described as terrorist targets in northwestern Nigeria, highlighting global concern about instability in the area.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International said Nigeria’s security crisis was “increasingly getting out of hand,” accusing authorities of failing to protect civilians as gunmen continue to kill and abduct people across several northern states. The group said rural communities are bearing the brunt of the violence, often with little warning or protection.
The Vatican has also reacted to the latest violence. During his weekly address in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo expressed solidarity with the victims and their families, urging Nigerian authorities to act decisively to protect lives and restore security. His words echoed the prayers and concerns of millions of Nigerian Christians worldwide, many of whom follow events back home closely through family networks and faith communities.
For Chijos News readers in the UK, Europe, North America and across Africa, the Kaduna attack is not just another headline. It reflects a deeper crisis affecting relatives, places of worship and childhood communities. As kidnappings and killings persist, the call from within Nigeria and the diaspora grows louder for lasting solutions that go beyond short-term military responses, and instead address safety, accountability and peace for all citizens, regardless of faith or location.
