Sarah Peter is still traumatized by her ordeal of being abducted during a church service in a village in northern Nigeria. The 60-year-old shares her harrowing experience of being hit on the head with a rifle by attackers demanding she move during the raid on Sunday morning. As blood streamed from her head, she described the chaos of the attack that led to dozens of worshippers being taken hostage.
They kept dragging me even when I told them I couldn't walk. Then I hid somewhere until I couldn't see them any more. I was so weak I had to crawl back to the village, Sarah said, still shaken three days after the incident.
Authorities reported that 11 individuals managed to escape the kidnappers, but more than 160 remain unaccounted for. Villagers in Kurmin Wali, a community located north of the capital Abuja, are left devastated, grappling with fears of further attacks.
While local officials did not provide exact numbers regarding the missing individuals, it has been confirmed that the area is known for recent spikes in kidnappings and violent crime. The incident in Kurmin Wali is part of a broader security crisis in Nigeria, where armed gangs, often referred to as 'bandits', conduct such raids.
Sarah's account highlights the ongoing ramifications of insecurity faced by residents, as she expressed the community's frustration towards local authorities for their inadequate response and efforts to suppress information about the attack. Governor Uba Sani pledges to improve security, including establishing a military presence in the area, but the promise comes amid deep-seated anxiety in a community praying for the safe return of its loved ones.
They kept dragging me even when I told them I couldn't walk. Then I hid somewhere until I couldn't see them any more. I was so weak I had to crawl back to the village, Sarah said, still shaken three days after the incident.
Authorities reported that 11 individuals managed to escape the kidnappers, but more than 160 remain unaccounted for. Villagers in Kurmin Wali, a community located north of the capital Abuja, are left devastated, grappling with fears of further attacks.
While local officials did not provide exact numbers regarding the missing individuals, it has been confirmed that the area is known for recent spikes in kidnappings and violent crime. The incident in Kurmin Wali is part of a broader security crisis in Nigeria, where armed gangs, often referred to as 'bandits', conduct such raids.
Sarah's account highlights the ongoing ramifications of insecurity faced by residents, as she expressed the community's frustration towards local authorities for their inadequate response and efforts to suppress information about the attack. Governor Uba Sani pledges to improve security, including establishing a military presence in the area, but the promise comes amid deep-seated anxiety in a community praying for the safe return of its loved ones.
