Terrorists Kill Seven in Easter Sunday Raid on Kaduna Churches

Terrorists have killed at least seven worshippers and abducted dozens more in a coordinated Easter Sunday attack on two churches in Kaduna State. Heavily armed gunmen stormed the Ariko community in Kachia Local Government Area during the early morning hours, targeting the First ECWA Church and St. Augustine Catholic Church. Local officials report that the assailants operated with near impunity, surrounding the worship centres and firing sporadically into the congregations. The raid has plunged the rural district into a state of panic as families wait for news of those dragged into the bush.

Mark Bawa, the councillor representing Awon Ward, confirmed the dual assault but noted that the exact death toll remains fluid. While initial reports cited seven fatalities, some community sources suggest the number has already risen to eight. Bawa attributed the delayed security response to notoriously poor telecommunications coverage in the Ariko axis. This “dead zone” prevented residents from alerting authorities while the terrorists were still on-site. By the time word reached the nearest security post, the attackers had already retreated with their captives.

The timing of the attack, falling on Easter Sunday, appears calculated to inflict maximum psychological damage on the Christian community. Survivors described a scene of chaos as worshippers scrambled for cover under pews while bullets riddled the church walls. The gunmen reportedly arrived in large numbers, suggesting a well-organised paramilitary operation rather than a random bandit raid. This level of coordination has raised fresh alarms about the total vulnerability of rural settlements in southern Kaduna.

Residents in Kachia have expressed growing frustration with the perceived absence of state protection. Despite repeated assurances from the government, these “frontier” villages remain soft targets for kidnap-for-ransom gangs. The extended duration of the Sunday attack suggests that the perpetrators felt little fear of a rapid military intervention. Rural policing in the state continues to be hampered by a lack of equipment and a vast, difficult terrain that favours the insurgents.

The Kaduna State Police Command has yet to issue a formal statement or provide a casualty list. This silence has allowed rumours to fester, further heightening tensions in a region already scarred by sectarian friction. Historically, such attacks in Kaduna have triggered reprisal violence if the state fails to show a firm hand. Security analysts warn that without an immediate rescue operation, the abducted worshippers face a grim fate in the bandit camps of the Birnin Gwari forest.

For the people of Ariko, this Easter will be remembered not for celebration, but for the smell of gunpowder and the sight of empty pews. The government’s inability to secure places of worship during high-profile holidays remains a glaring failure of its primary mandate. As the hunt for the survivors begins, the state must decide if it can truly protect its citizens or if it will continue to leave them to the mercy of “hooded” killers.