Gunmen kidnap at least 160 worshippers in Nigeria

Armed gangs kidnapped 163 worshippers after storming two churches in Nigeria's northern Kaduna State on Sunday, a member of the clergy told AFP.

"The attackers came in numbers and blocked the entrance of the churches and forced the worshippers out into the bush," Reverend Joseph Hayab, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria for the country's north, said on Monday.

"The actual number they took was 172 but nine escaped, so 163 are with them," added Hayab, who lives in the city of Kaduna.

A UN security report seen by AFP on Monday also noted more than 100 were abducted.

Bandit attacks

Gunmen raided the two churches during Sunday mass in Kurmin Wali village in Kajuru district.

Gangs – known in Nigeria as "bandits" – frequently carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and loot villages in mainly the northern and central parts of the country.

In November, armed gangs seized more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic school in Niger state. They were released weeks later in two batches.