The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has finally admitted the abduction of over 100 worshippers in Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna state.
This comes after the NPF denied that the incident occurred.
Gunmen in large number attacked three churches in the community and took away about 167 worshippers.
However, on Monday, the Kaduna State Police Command dismissed the report as a falsehood spread by “conflict entrepreneurs” seeking to disrupt the state’s relative peace.
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Speaking during a press briefing in Kaduna, Muhammad Rabiu, the commissioner of police in the state, challenged those spreading the reports to provide names and details of the victims, insisting that there was no record of such abductions.
Following police denial, Christian Solidarity Worldwide–Nigeria (CSW-N), a human rights group, said the abductions took place and accused security operatives of obstructing efforts to independently verify the incident.
The group accused security personnel of preventing its team from accessing the community during a fact-finding visit, despite presenting proper identification.
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However, in a statement on Tuesday, Benjamin Hundeyin, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) said the initial confusion was created after a meeting of the Kaduna State Security Council convened by governor Uba Sani.
Hundeyin said some individuals from Kajuru disputed the abduction claims during the meeting, describing them as false.
He said comments made by the commissioner of police during a media interaction were aimed at preventing panic while verification was ongoing and were not intended to deny the incident.
“Subsequent verification from operational units and intelligence sources has confirmed that the incident did occur,” the statement reads.
