The Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Muhammad Rabiu, has described the reported abduction of over 100 worshippers in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru Local Government Area, as a falsehood being peddled by conflict entrepreneurs seeking to cause chaos in the state.
Addressing journalists after the State Security Council meeting at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Monday, the police commissioner challenged anyone to produce the names of the alleged victims and other relevant particulars.
The commissioner warned rumour mongers to desist from attempting to derail the prevailing peace in Kaduna State, stressing that the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on such merchants of falsehood.
Corroborating the CP's statement, the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government, Dauda Madaki, said that when he heard the rumour of the attack, he mobilised the police and other security forces to Kurmin Wali but found no evidence of any attack.
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"We visited the church where the so-called kidnapping allegedly took place. There was no evidence of any attack. I asked the village head, Mai Dan Zaria, and he said there was no such incident.
"I also called the area youth leader, Bernard Bona, who was interviewed by the pressmen who accompanied me, and he said nothing of the sort happened.
"So, I challenge anyone to name the people that were kidnapped. I have been waiting for this list, and no one has come forward with a name.
"I believe that the rumour of the kidnapping is being sponsored by people who are unhappy with the relative peace Kajuru has enjoyed since the coming of this administration," he added.
Madaki advised residents of the area to remain calm and go about their lawful activities, urging them to report any suspicious movements and rumour mongers to security agencies.
In his response, the Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shuaibu (SAN), said the CAN chairman and other religious leaders had interacted with residents of the area where the alleged kidnapping occurred.
"They found that what was pushed into the public space was completely false," he said, assuring that the Kaduna State Government has zero tolerance for criminality.
Unconfirmed reports had earlier claimed that suspected bandits kidnapped an unspecified number of worshippers from three churches in the Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Sunday.
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The attackers were said to have invaded the churches, locked the gates and forcefully marched the worshippers into the surrounding bush.
The affected churches were said to be the Cherubim and Seraphim Church 1 and 2, as well as Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA).
