Nigerian military personnel rescued 31 worshippers abducted during Easter services in Kaduna state. The incident highlights escalating insecurity and violence from criminal and militant groups in the northwestern region.

Nigeria’s military said Sunday it rescued 31 worshippers abducted during Easter services in northwestern Kaduna state, after troops engaged gunmen in a firefight, though at least five people were killed in the attack. The assault on a Catholic and an evangelical church underscores worsening insecurity in the region, where criminal gangs and militant groups have intensified raids and kidnappings.