In a hushed, intelligence-driven operation carried out under the cover of darkness, Nigeria’s security agencies have rescued the remaining worshippers abducted during the January attack on churches in Kurmin Wali, Kaduna State—bringing a traumatic chapter to a quiet close.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), working in close coordination with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and supported by the Nigerian Army, recovered 88 captives from bandits’ hideouts in the Kajuru–Kachia axis in the early hours of Thursday. The rescued victims included men, women and two toddlers.
The latest recovery completes the rescue of worshippers kidnapped when gunmen stormed three churches in Kurmin Wali on January 18, abducting about 167 people. Eighty victims were released on February 1, leaving dozens in captivity until the meticulously planned overnight operation.
One member of the rescue team, who spoke after the mission, described it as “purely intelligence-led.”
“There was no shooting, no drama. Everything depended on timing, trust and pressure. We moved quietly through insecure villages, met intermediaries and waited in the bush until the victims were produced,” the operative said.
According to the source, the convoy departed Kaduna city around 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday under DSS escort, navigating narrow, high-risk routes through Kachia into Kajuru Local Government Area, eventually reaching Maro and Cibiya villages.
At about 11:00 p.m., the team established contact with local intermediaries—known as kachallas—who operate between communities and criminal groups. Thirty minutes later, they were led toward Cibiya village.
“There was no time for pleasantries. We told them straight: we are here for the victims—nothing else,” the operative recounted.
For reasons known only to the abductors, the captives were not immediately produced. The team was instructed to wait—deep in the bush—for nearly 90 tense minutes.
“Those minutes felt like a lifetime,” the operative said. “You are in hostile terrain with no guarantees.”
Then, at exactly 12:45 a.m., the waiting ended. From different corners of a dark thicket outside Cibiya village, figures began to emerge—first a woman clutching a child, then a limping man, followed by others. In silence, 88 kidnapped worshippers stepped out of captivity. There were no sirens, no gunfire—just palpable relief.
A minor setback occurred when one vehicle developed a flat tyre near Maro village. The passengers were swiftly redistributed among other vehicles, and the convoy pressed on.
By about 3:30 a.m., the team arrived safely in Kaduna, where the rescued persons were handed over to DSS headquarters for documentation and profiling.
The source praised the support of Army and Navy personnel from the Nigerian Army School of Artillery, Kachia, as well as the Garrison Commander, for providing escort and coordination throughout the operation.
Kajuru LGA has long been a pressure point on Kaduna’s security map. Its forested terrain, poor road access and proximity to Kachia and parts of Niger State make it a preferred transit and holding zone for bandit groups.
Beyond the relief for dozens of families, the Kurmin Wali rescue offers a revealing glimpse into Nigeria’s evolving counter-kidnapping playbook—one increasingly defined by quiet inter-agency fusion rather than loud battlefield theatrics.
Instead of a large-scale military assault, the operation relied on layered coordination: DSS-led human intelligence and negotiation, ONSA’s strategic oversight and deconfliction, and military area dominance to secure safe corridors. Security experts say such an approach reduces civilian risk and prevents kidnappers from scattering hostages during raids—a recurring challenge in past operations.
The episode also exposed a familiar gap: the initial police denial of the abduction, highlighting the lag that can exist between ground reality and official acknowledgment, often complicating response time and public trust.
As of press time, the Kaduna State Government had yet to issue an official statement on the operation—but in the forests of Kajuru, a silent victory had already been secured.
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