At least 51 people were kidnapped and three killed in three days in attacks on four localities in southern Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, a predominantly Christian area where more than 180 people were abducted in January after attacks on three churches.

A series of mass kidnappings in late 2025 drew attention to the alarming security situation in Africa's most populous country. In response, the Nigerian president declared a state of emergency and launched a recruitment drive for military and police personnel to combat the insecurity plaguing the nation.

In recent months, the United States has criticized Nigeria's inability to stem the violence.

US President Donald Trump has denounced an alleged "persecution" of Christians - an argument long used by the American religious right - while killings by jihadist groups and criminal gangs affect Christians and Muslims indiscriminately in the country.

On January 18, in the Kajuru Local Government Area, 183 worshippers were abducted by armed groups from three churches during Sunday Mass. Of these, 89 were released on Friday, the others having been freed a few days earlier.

Over the past three days, four villages have been attacked by armed groups, AFP learned Saturday from a security source.

On Saturday, armed men abducted 11 people, including Nathaniel Asuwaye, a priest from the Holy Trinity Catholic parish located in Karku, in the Kauru Local Government.

Another attack on Saturday in Kasuwar Magani, in the Kajuru government, left three dead and 38 people kidnapped, including a local imam and four people from his congregation.

The day before, two people were abducted on the road to Maro, also in the Kajuru Local Government.

Nearby in Maro, attackers destroyed houses on Thursday, but the number of victims has not been reported.

These attacks have not been claimed.

Mass kidnappings are frequent in Nigeria, committed either by jihadists or by criminal gangs referred to locally as "bandits" who act without ideological demands and call for ransoms.

Kidnappings have become "a structured and lucrative industry" that generated some $1.66 million between July 2024 and June 2025, according to a report by SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy.