By Mike Odeh James
The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has raised fresh alarm over the abduction of 15 married Christian women by Boko Haram terrorists in southern Borno State, while sharply criticizing the continued silence of authorities over the kidnapping of 166 worshippers from churches in southern Kaduna.
In a press statement issued Monday and signed by its president, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, the MBF said the women were abducted on December 18, 2025, from Kilakasa village in Dille District of Askira/Uba Local Government Area while fishing by a nearby river. The group identified the attackers as Boko Haram.
According to the MBF, all 15 victims are Christian women of the Marghi ethnic group, aged between 30 and 40, and are mothers with young children. At least one of the abducted women reportedly has six children who have now been left without their mother.
Despite families reporting the incident to security agencies and making initial ransom contacts, the forum said communication with the abductors has since ceased, with no known rescue operation underway.
“The complete silence by the Nigerian media on such a grave crime is curious and deeply troubling,” the MBF said, adding that the lack of information has compounded the anguish of families and heightened fear in Middle Belt communities within Borno State.
The forum contrasted the inaction with the recent rescue of 12 girls abducted by Boko Haram from a communal farm in Mussa District, Askira Emirate. The girls were freed within four days by troops of Operation Hadin Kai. MBF urged authorities to apply the same urgency to the Kilakasa abduction.
Beyond Borno, the forum expressed deep concern over the fate of 166 worshippers abducted from three churches in Kurmin Wali village, Kajuru Local Government Area of southern Kaduna. The kidnappings, which occurred about 15 days earlier, were initially denied by state authorities, according to the MBF.
“The silence of the Kaduna State Government and the Kaduna State Police Command is not only unsettling but heartlessly insensitive to victims’ families,” the statement said.
The MBF also condemned a recent coordinated attack on Agwara town in Niger State, where armed bandits reportedly overran local security, burned a police divisional headquarters, attacked a church, and abducted at least five residents. The assault, the forum said, has left the community traumatized and fearful of further attacks.
According to the MBF, the Agwara incident reflects a broader pattern of violence across the Middle Belt, increasingly targeting churches, schools, police facilities, and civilian communities.
In southern Kaduna, the forum cited continued daily kidnappings and attacks in Kauru, Kachia, Lere, Chikun, and Kagarko local government areas, warning that armed groups are operating with near-total impunity.
The group criticized Kaduna State for lacking a well-trained and properly funded civilian security support structure, arguing that neighboring states have made more progress through community-based security collaborations.
It also questioned the effectiveness of what the state government has described as the “Kaduna Peace Model,” noting that the period has coincided with mass kidnappings and displacement. The MBF alleged that some armed Fulani bandits previously pardoned and reintegrated in 2024 are linked to the current wave of violence.
“These developments lend credence to claims of a targeted campaign against Christian-majority ethnic nationalities of the Middle Belt,” the forum said, describing the situation as evidence of a wider pattern of religiously motivated violence.
The MBF demanded immediate and transparent updates on all abducted persons, swift and coordinated rescue efforts, and concrete protection strategies that uphold citizens’ constitutional rights to life and security.
“The lives of these women and all other abducted persons matter,” the statement concluded.
Post Comment