Bandits Abduct Baptist Pastor and Three Daughters in Kaduna Village, Spark Security Concerns
TUDUN BUSSA, Kaduna State, Nigeria — Suspected bandits have abducted a Baptist pastor and his three daughters in a troubling escalation of violence in Kaduna State’s rural communities. The incident occurred during a late-night attack on Sunday, January 18, 2026, when armed men stormed Tudun Bussa village in the Chikun Local Government Area and forced their way into the cleric’s residence.
The victims have been identified as Pastor Daniel Bagama, a cleric of the Baptist Church, and his three daughters. According to a letter issued by Rev. Ishaya Adamu Jangado, President of the Kaduna Baptist Conference and copied to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the abductors arrived at about 11:00 p.m., firing sporadically to create panic before seizing the pastor and his children and whisking them away to an unknown location.
Eyewitnesses described how the attackers, believed to be part of a bandit group operating in Kaduna’s hinterland, rode into the village on motorcycles under cover of darkness, forcing residents into hiding before entering the pastor’s home.
As of the most recent reports, there has been no official statement from security agencies in the state regarding the abduction, and no indication has been released about efforts to secure the victims’ release. Requests for comment from the state police spokesperson were reportedly unanswered at the time of filing.
The attack comes amid a broader pattern of insecurity in Kaduna State, where banditry, kidnappings and violent raids on villages have become recurrent. In recent weeks, coordinated assaults on multiple churches in the Kurmin Wali area of Kajuru LGA resulted in the abduction of scores of worshippers during Sunday services, prompting outrage from religious leaders and civil society groups.
Local communities and church authorities have expressed deep concern over the rising frequency of such attacks, decrying what they describe as inadequate protection and delayed response by security forces. The Christian Association of Nigeria and other organizations have called on federal and state authorities to step up rescue efforts and provide stronger security around vulnerable villages.
This latest abduction of a religious leader and his children underscores the serious security challenges facing rural areas in parts of northern and central Nigeria, where armed groups continue to exploit weak state presence and limited infrastructure to perpetrate crimes against civilians. Families of the victims and community leaders are anxiously awaiting news of their condition and release.
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