Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, a former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission and a human rights lawyer, has condemned the Kaduna State Police Command for denying the alleged abduction of worshippers from churches in the Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.
Odinkalu raised doubts about the intention behind what he termed a police effort to conceal information related to the event.
On Tuesday, Odinkalu responded through his verified X account after the police rejected claims that numerous worshippers were abducted during Sunday services in various areas of Kaduna State.
On Tuesday, he responded through his verified X account after police denied reports that numerous worshippers were abducted during Sunday church services in certain areas of Kaduna State, characterizing the allegations as untrue and potentially inciting panic.
Sharing video clips allegedly from the affected churches, Odinkalu wrote, “The #policeNG alone know whose & what script they are acting out in claiming to deny the #MassAbduction last Sunday of the #Kajuru177.
“Kaduna State CP, Muhammad Rabiu, has been to the community with his folks. He has seen the affected places of worship & personally spoken to survivors.”
Odinkalu claimed that the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, may be under pressure to downplay the incident.
The footage displayed flipped chairs and disturbed church interiors, which he claimed were proof from religious sites visited by security personnel. He mentioned that survivors were interviewed while visiting the impacted communities.
“I suspect the CP may fear that if he says truthfully what he saw, his paymasters… will come for his job. But #FactsAreStubborn.”
The dispute arises from prior statements by the Christian Association of Nigeria in Northern Nigeria that gunmen invaded churches in Kajuru on Sunday and kidnapped attendees.
Rev. Joseph Hayab, chairperson of CAN in the North, claimed that the assailants “arrived in large groups and obstructed the church entrances, driving the worshippers out into the bushes.”
The Kaduna State Police Command, in a collective statement with local government officials on Monday, rejected the allegations as “simply fabrications spread by conflict entrepreneurs aiming to create disorder.”
Dauda Madaki, the chairman of the Kajuru Local Government Area, stated that security personnel were sent to Kurmin Wali after the reports but discovered no signs of an attack.
“I asked the village head, Mai Dan Zaria, and he said that there was no such attack,” Madaki said.
Authorities also cited the state commissioner for internal security and home affairs as stating that spiritual leaders who visited the region verified that the rumors circulating were untrue.
The Nigeria Police Force confirmed on Tuesday night that an abduction took place at Kurmin Wali, a remote village in Kajuru LGA, after initial doubts about the reports.
In a statement released on Tuesday night, the Force spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, mentioned that the police had received notifications about the kidnapping, which caused significant worry among locals and the broader community.
He stated that the incident led the Kaduna State Governor to call a meeting of the State Security Council at the Government House in Kaduna.
Hundeyin clarified that confusion emerged at the meeting when certain individuals from the impacted local government area challenged the report previously validated by the police, labeling it as untrue.
He noted that the differing narratives required carefulness and additional confirmation before issuing final public remarks, emphasizing that the statements from the Kaduna Commissioner of Police aimed to avoid unwarranted panic rather than to deny the occurrence.
