“They Treated Us Worse Than Animals”: Kaduna Church Kidnap Survivors Reveal Horror Inside Bandits’ Forest Camp

Survivors of the mass abduction of church worshippers in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have recounted harrowing experiences of torture, starvation and inhumane treatment while held captive by bandits deep in the forest.

The worshippers were abducted around 9am on January 18, 2026, during a Sunday church service and spent nearly two weeks in captivity before security operatives secured their release on Thursday.

Speaking after their rescue, the victims described a nightmare marked by constant beatings, forced treks through dense forests and near-total deprivation of food and basic dignity.

“They fed us like dogs,” one of the survivors, Hosea Madami, told Daily Trust. “They beat me on my head and hands. The food they gave us was very little, poured into our hands without salt. It had no taste.”

Madami said the abductees were forced to walk for days under brutal conditions. “We spent almost six days trekking in the forest. They kept beating us with sticks. Truly, we suffered greatly.”

Another victim, Rebecca Josiah, said hunger was one of the worst weapons used by their captors. “I ate only four times in the two weeks we spent in the forest. Sometimes they gave us kunu or tuwo in our hands,” she said.

According to her, even eating was humiliating. “If the food was too hot, you had to pour it into your clothes. Small children were crying all the time because of hunger.”

Josiah added that the captives were forced to walk barefoot for days, leaving many injured. “My feet became swollen. I stepped on thorns in the forest,” she said.

Other survivors said the men were frequently beaten, while food was rationed to starvation levels. A woman who spoke on condition of anonymity said the captives were denied the right to bathe throughout their ordeal, despite sleeping near a river.

“We were not allowed to bathe at all,” she said. “If you coughed, they beat you, especially the men. When children cried too much, they threatened to kill them.”

A pregnant victim, Theresa Irimiya, said she was spared physical abuse and later released with small children. “They didn’t beat me because I was pregnant. Later, they told me to go home with the small children,” she said.

An elderly woman recounted narrowly escaping abduction by hiding in the bush for several days before fleeing to another settlement.

A community leader, who asked not to be named, said the rescue occurred late at night following unusual movement of heavy-duty vehicles near Maro town. “Between 11pm and midnight, we saw heavy vehicles entering the forest. Around 1am to 2am, they returned with the abducted people,” he said.

It remains unclear whether ransom was paid or whether the motorcycles reportedly demanded by the abductors were handed over.

Earlier reports indicated that 177 worshippers were initially kidnapped, with some escaping during and after the attack. Confirming the development, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, announced that all 183 abducted persons had been rescued.

“Today, I can say without contradiction that all those abducted from Kurmin Wali have returned,” the governor said, adding that President Bola Tinubu was personally involved in the rescue operation.

Governor Sani also disclosed that a military base would be established in the Kajuru–Kachia axis, a region long troubled by banditry. He said the rescued victims would receive medical and psychosocial care before reuniting with their families.

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) welcomed the release, describing it as a moment of relief and healing after a “tragic and traumatic” ordeal.

SOURCE : NaijaRush Assignment Desk