The Peoples Democratic Party has strongly criticised the Federal Government, the Kaduna State Police Command, and the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area over their initial denial of the reported kidnapping of about 163 worshippers in Kajuru community, describing the response as shameful and insensitive.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the opposition party said the silence of the Federal Government and the outright denial by local security and government officials reflect what it described as a recurring pattern of downplaying insecurity and withholding the truth from Nigerians.
The PDP accused the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, of dismissing early reports of the mass abduction as misinformation allegedly spread by “mischief makers” and “conflict entrepreneurs,” while also demanding details of the victims.
The party noted that the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area similarly denied that any kidnapping had taken place within the area.
According to the statement, these denials were particularly painful given claims by affected villagers that the police were alerted immediately after the incident occurred but failed to act.
The party alleged that authorities chose to protect the government’s image rather than respond urgently to the plight of the victims.
The PDP further stated that after residents and the Christian Association of Nigeria reportedly provided names of those abducted, security agencies eventually acknowledged the incident.
However, it criticised the continued silence of the Commissioner of Police and the local government chairman, noting that neither official had offered an apology for their earlier denials or for what the party described as a failure to protect lives.
Describing the episode as a public betrayal and an attempted cover-up, the PDP demanded an immediate public apology from both the Commissioner of Police and the Kajuru Local Government Chairman.
The party also called on the Federal Government to urgently deploy a high-powered security team to locate, rescue, and safely return the abducted worshippers to their families.
The statement concluded with a call for the government to move away from what it termed “performative governance” and focus on concrete action, stressing that the affected families deserve swift intervention rather than excuses.
