Nigerian military rescues 31 worshipers kidnapped during Easter celebrations
The troops engaged the attackers in a firefight, forcing the terrorists to abandon 31 hostages.
The Nigerian military rescued 31 worshippers seized during Easter Sunday celebrations in northwestern Kaduna state, though at least five others were killed, as the country's security comes increasingly under international scrutiny.
Gunmen raided a Catholic and an evangelical church, the Christian Association of Nigeria chairman for Kaduna state Caleb Bawa Ma'aji told AFP.
The kidnapping at a village located around 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of the capital, Abuja. "The incident that happened this morning was quite unfortunate," said Ma'aji.
"Through a swift response, (troops) have successfully foiled a terrorist attack leading to the rescue of 31 civilians abducted during an Easter church service" in the village of Ariko, the military said in a statement on Sunday evening.
Gun battle
The troops engaged the attackers in a "firefight", forcing the "terrorists to abandon 31 hostages", the military said.
In January, bandits rounded up more than 170 worshippers from three churches during mass in Kaduna.
Authorities said 80 escaped and the rest were released following negotiations after three weeks in custody.
Kaduna is one several states in northwest and central Nigeria that have for years been terrorised by criminal gangs called bandits that carry out deadly raids on communities and kidnap for ransom.
Despite the bandits being motivated by financial gains, they are increasingly collaborating with terrorists from the northeast.
Beefing up security
While the army has been beefing up its deployment to the region to combat the groups, Nigeria has continued to see a rise in violence.
That has drawn the attention of US President Donald Trump, who has alleged there is a "genocide" of Christians in Nigeria. The Nigerian government denies this, saying Muslims and Christians have suffered attacks from terrorists.
In a separate incident, Nigeria's military killed 65 bandits in Zamfara state, according to a security report seen by AFP on Sunday.
The offensive was carried out in the northwestern Zamfara state, where police on Saturday confirmed a mass kidnapping carried out earlier in the week.
“At least 65 bandits" had been killed, in what the security report called a "major breakthrough".