By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has strongly condemned the mass abduction of 177 Christian Adara natives from Kurmin Wali village, Afogo Ward, Kajuru Local Government Area of Southern Kaduna, describing the incident as heinous, barbaric, and a stark reflection of Nigeria’s worsening security situation in the Middle Belt.
In a statement dated January 22, 2026, the forum said it had joined people of conscience, faith-based organisations, civil society groups, and the international community in unequivocally denouncing the kidnapping, which reportedly occurred while the victims were peacefully gathered for worship in their community.
The statement was jointly signed by HRM Oba Oladipo Olaitan, Leader of the SMBLF and Afenifere; Dr. Bitrus Pogu, President of the Middle Belt Forum; Senator John Azuta-Mbata, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide; and Ambassador Godknows Igali, National Chairman of PANDEF.
The forum said the crime was another tragic reminder of what it described as the unrelenting terror being visited on indigenous communities across the Middle Belt, adding that it stood firmly in solidarity with the Adara people of Southern Kaduna and all victims of terrorism in the region.
According to the SMBLF, the situation was further compounded by what it described as the irresponsible and shocking public denial of the mass abduction by the Kaduna State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Barrister Sule Shu’aibu (SAN); the Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Rabiu; and the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Council, Mr. Madaki Dauda. The forum said such conduct amounted to a betrayal of public trust and significantly undermined rescue efforts by emboldening the criminals and giving them valuable time to relocate their captives to remote enclaves.
The forum noted that following public confirmation by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, that the kidnapping indeed occurred, there could be no moral or administrative justification for silence or inaction. It therefore demanded that appropriate authorities sanction any officials found to have deliberately misled the public, obstructed emergency response, or trivialised the suffering of victims.
The SMBLF also said the incident had once again validated its long-standing opposition to what it described as the Kaduna State Government’s so-called amnesty programme for armed bandits and terrorists. According to the forum, it was deeply insensitive and strategically reckless to continue offering medical care, educational opportunities, and skills acquisition programmes to violent criminals who had neither surrendered their weapons nor renounced terrorism, while their victims were left traumatised, displaced, and impoverished.
It further lamented that hundreds of indigenous communities in Southern Kaduna remained without any meaningful security presence, even as scarce public resources were allegedly being expended on the welfare of individuals responsible for violent crimes. The forum warned that the Middle Belt had increasingly become fertile ground for terrorism and banditry, where human lives were commodified for ransom with little consequence for perpetrators.
The SMBLF cited other recent incidents in the region, including the abduction of over 300 school pupils and their teachers in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State and the kidnapping of worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, in Eruku town of Kwara State, as further evidence of what it described as systematic attacks on Christian communities driven by terrorism and state failure.
The forum called on the Federal Government to immediately deploy all necessary military and intelligence resources to secure the safe rescue of the abducted residents of Kurmin Wali. It also demanded the suspension and investigation of all public officials who denied or downplayed the incident, saying such actions endangered lives and obstructed justice.
It urged Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, to urgently establish and properly fund community-based vigilante formations across Southern Kaduna as a first line of defence against terrorist incursions. The forum also called on governors of Middle Belt states to immediately form a Joint Regional Security Outfit, similar to the South-West model, to enhance intelligence sharing and enable rapid, coordinated responses to attacks across state boundaries.
Reiterating its long-held position, the SMBLF said the creation of State Police was long overdue and urged the National Assembly to urgently begin work on legislation to facilitate it. The forum maintained that only a restructured Nigeria operating under a new constitution, largely based on the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference, could guarantee the safety, progress, and wellbeing of citizens.
It further called on Nigeria to activate and operationalise its security cooperation agreements with the United States and Israel, noting that the country could not defeat transnational terror networks in isolation.
The forum urged Governor Sani to abandon what it described as a failed policy of appeasing terrorists and to place the welfare, safety, and security of law-abiding citizens above all other considerations, warning that the lives of innocent Nigerians must never be treated as expendable.
While assuring the people of Adara land, Southern Kaduna, and the entire Middle Belt of its solidarity, the SMBLF said that although it joined well-meaning Nigerians in prayer for the safe return of the abducted, prayers must be matched with decisive action. It stressed that government must do everything necessary to ensure the immediate rescue of the hostages and prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
