Overview
- The army, which said Sunday it freed 31 abducted worshippers after gunmen hit a church in Ariko, Kaduna State, is being challenged by the Christian Association of Nigeria and local leaders who say no one was rescued.
- Witnesses and church officials say two churches were struck and seven people were killed, while the military reports five bodies and says a firefight forced the attackers to abandon captives.
- Security forces say they are pursuing the assailants and have sent reinforcements, and residents blame weak phone service for slowing help and warn some victims may still be missing.
- Attacks that unfolded over the Easter weekend have now left at least 26 people dead in separate incidents in Benue, Borno, and Kaduna, according to the military and local officials.
- Authorities have not identified the gunmen, reflecting a landscape where ransom‑seeking bandit gangs and Islamist militants often overlap and fueling competing narratives that can shape trust and rescue efforts.