Bandits Kill HEKAN Pastor, Abduct Over 20 Worshippers in Latest Kauru Raid

By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi October 31, 2025
adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com

Suspected bandits stormed the Farin Dutse community in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State in the early hours of Tuesday, October 28, 2025, killing a revered clergyman and abducting more than 20 residents, including members of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN), popularly known as HEKAN.

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The United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN), also known as HEKAN, has condemned the attack in strongest terms, describing it as a “callous, inhumane, and deliberate attempt to frustrate the church and its members.” Reverend Dr. Amos Kiri, President of HEKAN, issued a statement on Thursday expressing profound grief over the loss of Reverend Yahaya Kambasiya, who was fatally shot while attempting to return to the village after hiding during the assault.

Farin Dutse, a predominantly agrarian community in southern Kaduna, awoke to terror as heavily armed bandits invaded around 2 a.m., firing sporadically into the air and homes to scatter residents. Villagers fled into nearby farms and bushes, but the gunmen methodically ransacked houses, selecting victims including over 20 worshippers from the local HEKAN church before vanishing into the dense forests bordering Plateau and Kaduna states.

Reverend Kambasiya, the parish pastor of HEKAN’s Farin Dutse branch, had sought refuge in a farm with a few congregants as the gunfire intensified. Believing the attackers had departed after the shooting subsided, he emerged to check on his flock only to be shot in the back at close range. “He died instantly, a shepherd cut down in his moment of mercy,” Rev. Kiri recounted in the church’s statement, obtained by journalists in Kaduna.

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The cleric’s body was recovered and deposited at a morgue in Kafanchan, with burial arrangements pending family consultations. No ransom demands have been publicly issued for the abductees, many of whom are women and children from the church, though families report frantic negotiations with the bandits via untraceable phone lines.

This brazen assault is the latest in a string of targeted attacks on HEKAN members in Kauru, a hotspot for banditry and ethno-religious tensions. Rev. Kiri highlighted recent incidents, including:

“HEKAN members, especially in Kauru, have endured repeated assaults by armed bandits and cattle rustlers,” Kiri lamented, calling the killings “wicked” and a direct threat to Christian communities. The church has formally notified the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Northern and Kaduna States, the Kauru Divisional Police, and other authorities, urging immediate rescue operations.

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Kaduna’s Christian leaders have mobilized prayers and vigils, with CAN Chairman Rev. John Hayab decrying the “unholy targeting of places of worship.” Families of the abductees, many subsistence farmers, are in “unbearable trauma,” pooling meager resources for potential ransoms estimated at ₦10-20 million per group.

The incident unfolds amid President Bola Tinubu’s recent military reshuffle, including the Senate’s confirmation of Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, aimed at intensifying operations against bandits. Yet, locals decry delayed responses: “By the time security arrived hours later, the bandits were long gone with our loved ones,” said community elder Malam Yusuf Ibrahim.

Kaduna State Police Command spokesperson DSP Mansir Hassan confirmed the attack but provided no operational details, stating an investigation is underway. Governor Uba Sani’s office expressed condolences and pledged support, though no concrete rescue timeline was announced.

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As night falls on Farin Dutse, the air is thick with grief and fear. Rev. Kiri’s plea resonates: “We call on security agencies to pursue these bandits relentlessly and rescue our brothers and sisters. God will intervene, but our leaders must act.” In a state scarred by over 1,000 bandit-related deaths in 2025 alone, this tragedy underscores the urgent cry for fortified defenses and unyielding justice.

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