Led by Attacks on Christian Communities
By Mike Odeh James and Izighe Bitrus Adamu
(Kaduna) For 82-year-old Haruna David, Monday, June 1, 2026, was one of the saddest days of his life.
“My son left home early in the morning to go to the farm so he could provide food for the family,” Haruna told TruthNigeria. “About 30 minutes later, I heard gunshots across the community. Since then, my son has not returned.”
Speaking on Thursday, June 4, four days after the attack, the elderly resident said his son was among those abducted during a raid on Kampani Iburu, a Christian farming community in Southern Kaduna.
“Today is June 4, and this is the fourth day since the Fulani ethnic militia kidnapped my only son,” he said.
Haruna’s story is one of many emerging from the State of Kaduna – as well as a handful of Middle Belt States slammed by a mounting wave of kidnappings blamed on armed Fulani ethnic militia operating across the region.
Nationwide Kidnapping Surge
The violence in Kachia is part of a broader kidnapping surge. In the early hours of June 4, gunmen attacked the Byazhin area of Kubwa in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, killing a vigilante and abducting four residents, including an 11-year-old child. (Punch) About 28 heavily armed attackers stormed the community around 1 a.m. (Sahara Reporters) Security forces launched search-and-rescue operations.
The Abuja attack followed a pattern of escalating violence. Residents say no fewer than 20 people had been kidnapped within two weeks in the Kubwa axis alone. (Vanguard News)
The Scale of Forest Captivity
TruthNigeria’s cumulative field reporting has documented up to 1,400 hostages held across Kaduna and neighboring states, with the Rijana Forest network alone estimated to hold between 800 and 850 captives (Truth Nigeria) (Truthnigeria) in a sprawling system of detention camps guarded by Fulani ethnic militia.
Survivor testimonies describe at least 11 major camps in Rijana, each holding more than 50 captives, and 10 smaller camps holding around 30 captives each. (ACI Africa)
At these camps, hundreds are held for months until families pay ransoms ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. Many die of torturous conditions or suffer execution. (Truth Nigeria)
Monica Friday, a 23-year-old farmer from Kampani Iburu, said her family was also torn apart during the attack.
“I managed to escape, but they captured my husband,” she told TruthNigeria. “Now I am left alone to care for our three children.”
Kampani Iburu, located about 37 miles southeast of Kaduna City, is a rural Christian farming settlement surrounded by forests and mountains. Residents say the difficult terrain has increasingly provided cover for armed groups operating in the area.
According to community leaders, more than 30 armed Fulani militia members stormed the village on motorcycles on the morning of June 1 and abducted eight residents.
“The attack started as early as 6 a.m.,” village spokesman David Ali told TruthNigeria. “Some people were on their way to their farms, while others were already working in the fields.”
He said the attackers arrived heavily armed.
“The Fulani terrorists came carrying AK-47 rifles, machetes, and sticks,” Ali said. “They arrived on motorcycles and were shouting ‘Allahu Akbar,’ an Arabic phrase that means ‘God is Great.’”
The sudden assault triggered panic across the village.
“Many people fled when they saw the attackers,” he said. “The Fulani militants captured those who could not escape.”
Ali said eight people, including one woman, were kidnapped during the raid.
The Kampani Iburu attack came amid a wave of violence through Christian communities in Kachia County during the final week of May.
On the night of May 24, armed Fulani militia attacked Kurmin Gwaza and Sabon Gari Gantan. “In Kurmin Gwaza, at least two Christians were killed and more than seven residents were kidnapped,” village chief Yohanna Garba told TruthNigeria. In nearby Sabon Gari Gantan, one person was killed and several others injured.
On May 30, the violence spread to Gadanaji. Armed militia operated for nearly three hours, abducting eight people, including youth leader Micah Cletus. The family secured their release the same day after paying a ransom of ₦6 million (approximately $3,800), along with food items, mobile phones, recharge cards, and a motorcycle.
As negotiations for the release of those from Kampani Iburu continue, Haruna still waits. “My son has not returned,” he said quietly. “We are still waiting.”
International Attention
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom named Fulani militants among nonstate religious freedom violators in Nigeria in its May 2026 report — consistent with TruthNigeria’s documentation and cited in U.S. Congressional hearings.
The Nigerian Police Force says it has stepped up operations in Birnin Gwari, Kachia, and Kajuru counties.
“It remains to be seen whether the police action will curb the activities of the Fulani ethnic militia,” said Friday Agbo, Managing Director of Alterkonsult Think Tank Kaduna.
Mike Odeh James and Izighe Bitrus Adamu are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria.
