How Nigeria’s Mainstream Media Amplified Official Denials of a Mass Kidnapping
By Mike Odeh James | Truth Nigeria | January 21, 2026
(Kaduna City) Major Nigerian media outlets amplified the Kaduna State Government and police denial of the Kurmin Wali “mass kidnapping” claims instead of foregrounding community testimony and eyewitness accounts from indigenous Christian residents.
On January 19, 2026, the Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Muhammad Rabiu, and Kajuru Local Government Chairman Dauda Madaki, held a joint press briefing rejecting reports that indigenous Christian worshippers had been abducted from churches in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru Local Government Area.
They dismissed the reports and challenged critics to produce a list of alleged victims.
This official position quickly became the dominant frame in coverage by leading national newspapers and by the respected New York Times. (The Times updated its Jan. 20 story on Jan 21 without acknowledging that the earlier version carried the false claim of the Kaduna Police commissioner and the Local Government chairman of Kajuru.)
That same day, The Punch published “No one was kidnapped in Kaduna churches — CP, council chairman,” centering the police and government denials.
The report quoted the commissioner as saying investigative visits showed “no evidence of any attack,” framing the story primarily as a rebuttal rather than an inquiry into the alleged abduction of Christians.
Similarly, The Guardian Nigeria ran the headline “Kaduna govt, police debunk kidnapping of 100 worshippers,” presenting official statements dismissing reports of abducted Christians as rumors and falsehoods, and treating the denial itself as the principal fact.
On January 20, Daily Trust followed the same pattern with “No One Was Kidnapped in Kajuru – Police Commissioner, Council Chairman,” again prioritizing official assurances over testimonies from Indigenous Christian and Adara communities.
Across coverage between January 19 and 20, 2026, official denial became the dominant narrative in Nigeria’s mainstream press, often with little or no reference to residents, church leaders, or independent verification from affected Adara Christian communities.
Most outlets also downplayed the unequivocal statement by the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the 19 Northern States, Rev. John Joseph Hayab. Hayab insisted that Fulani terrorists carried out the attack and that the scale was far greater than officials admitted.
“We have names, we have churches, and we have families looking for their loved ones,” Hayab said. “From information provided by church elders, no fewer than 172 Indigenous Christian worshippers were abducted, while some escaped.”
Changing Media Narrative
The media framing shifted only after a TruthNigeria correspondent undertook an undercover trip to Kurmin Wali, interviewed residents, and documented how Fulani Ethnic Militia and Fulani militants attacked churches and abducted 177 Christians, chiefly Adara tribe, with 11 escaping and 166 remaining in captivity.
Confronted with corroborated eyewitness accounts, the police acknowledged that a kidnapping indeed had occurred.
Following this reversal, mainstream Nigerian media also adjusted their narratives—highlighting how early reliance on official denial obscured the reality faced by Indigenous Christian communities in Kurmin Wali.
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