There was a huge plaster on Sarah Peter's head to staunch the bleeding caused by the blow of a gunman's weapon. Sarah, not her real name, was in church in a village in northern Nigeria on Sunday morning when attackers raided the compound to abduct the worshippers and take them away on foot. The 60-year-old was whacked on the skull with a rifle to encourage her to move. Blood was all over, she said, her fingers brushing the area where the wound was. I suffered, she added, clearly still traumatised by what happened three days earlier. They kept dragging me even when I told them I couldn't walk. Then I hid somewhere until I couldn't see them any more. I was so weak I had to crawl back to the village.
Dozens of others were taken away from her branch of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church and two other churches in Kurmin Wali, a village 135km north of the capital, Abuja. Although 11 people managed to escape, including Sarah, more than 160 people are still unaccounted for, according to the local branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria. The remaining villagers have been left devastated and fear more attacks. Authorities have not released any figures for those missing.
Kurmin Wali is near Kaduna state's Rijana forest, a notorious hideout for armed gangs, known here as bandits. The attack is part of a wider security crisis in Nigeria. Paying kidnappers is illegal in Nigeria, but it is often suspected that ransom payments occur to free those abducted. However, no ransom demand has been reported in this case.
There is an air of tension and anger in Kurmin Wali, as local residents accuse authorities of trying to suppress information post-attack. Governor Uba Sani has pledged to establish a military base in the area, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced security measures as the community grapples with trauma and uncertainty.
Dozens of others were taken away from her branch of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church and two other churches in Kurmin Wali, a village 135km north of the capital, Abuja. Although 11 people managed to escape, including Sarah, more than 160 people are still unaccounted for, according to the local branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria. The remaining villagers have been left devastated and fear more attacks. Authorities have not released any figures for those missing.
Kurmin Wali is near Kaduna state's Rijana forest, a notorious hideout for armed gangs, known here as bandits. The attack is part of a wider security crisis in Nigeria. Paying kidnappers is illegal in Nigeria, but it is often suspected that ransom payments occur to free those abducted. However, no ransom demand has been reported in this case.
There is an air of tension and anger in Kurmin Wali, as local residents accuse authorities of trying to suppress information post-attack. Governor Uba Sani has pledged to establish a military base in the area, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced security measures as the community grapples with trauma and uncertainty.
