Armed bandits kidnapped over 150 Christians from multiple churches in Nigeria’s Kaduna state on Sunday, with reports varying on the exact number taken.
The Christian Association of Nigeria said 172 worshippers were abducted, with 9 escaping, leaving 163 still held.
Though, police confirmed dozens were taken, but are still verifying numbers.
The attack targeted a Catholic church and two Cherubim and Seraphim churches in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru area.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mass kidnappings are increasingly common in Nigeria, with armed gangs targeting remote communities where the security and government presence is limited.
The attacks on churches have sparked claims of religious persecution by Donald Trump and others, although the Nigerian government said the security crisis is not a “Christian genocide.”
Nonetheless, on Christmas Day, US strikes rained down near Sokoto – a Muslim-majority city in the north of the country – allegedly targeting an Islamic State group in what Trump called a “Christmas present”.