October 31, (THEWILL) — Tears flowed in Farin Dutse, a quiet village in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, as Rev. Kambasaya of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN), was shot dead and more than 20 residents, including women and children, abducted, when armed bandits invaded the community in the early hours of Tuesday.
Residents said the invaders, who stormed the village around midnight, fired indiscriminately, forcing residents to flee in panic toward nearby bush paths and farmlands.
Rev. Kambasaya reportedly attempted to take cover during the shooting but was gunned down after emerging from hiding when he thought the danger had passed.
President of the Church also known as HEKAN, Rev. Amos G. Kiri, confirmed the incident.
He said, “The sad event took place in the early hours of Tuesday, 28th October 2025. Four other members of HEKAN Church, Kakude Local Church Branch, were earlier kidnapped on October 19th 2025, and are still being held captive.
“HEKAN members, especially in the Kauru Local Government axis, have been experiencing attacks by armed men suspected to be bandits or cattle rustlers. With a deep heart, on behalf of HEKAN Headquarters, I wish to inform the world of a tragic incident that occurred in Farin Dutse, a community in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, of bandits’ attack on our pastor and some other persons in the area.
“According to a report from one of our pastors over there, Rev. Dauda Gambo, the Chairman of HEKAN Kauru District Church Council, heavily armed bandits/cattle rustlers attacked the community (Farin Dutse) in the early hours of Tuesday, October 28, 2025, and perpetrated evil on innocent residents.
“The attack resulted in the death of Rev. Yahaya Kambasaya and the kidnapping of over 20 people, among them HEKAN members.”
Stressing that “the bandits invaded the community and started shooting sporadically at the locals and whisked away those captured. Reverend Yahaya Kambasiya and a few others had to hide in a farm till the end of the gunshots, which lasted a bit long.
“Immediately the bandits stopped shooting, the clergyman, Rev. Kambasiya, thought they had gone, so he came out of his hiding in the farm to check, only for him to be shot at the back. The bullet penetrated through his chest, and he died immediately.
“The body of the deceased reverend has been deposited, and the leadership of the church is consulting with the family to determine the funeral arrangements”, he added.
The cleric lamented that the church and community were thrown into deep sorrow by the killing and mass abduction. He described the attack as “wicked, painful and unacceptable”, calling on authorities to act swiftly to rescue the captives and end the unending cycle of violence.
“We are in deep grief. Our people have suffered a heartbreaking loss.The late pastor was committed to serving God and his community. This tragedy is unbearable”, Rev. Kiri said.
The attack has plunged the rural settlement and the entire Southern Kaduna (a region that has suffered recurrent assaults despite ongoing military operations) into mourning. Locals fear food shortages as many farmers have abandoned their lands out of fear of kidnapping and killings.
Security sources confirmed ongoing search-and-rescue efforts but provided no further details. Police authorities in Kaduna have yet to issue an official statement on the incident at the time of filing this report, a silence that residents say deepens their anxiety and sense of abandonment.
Human rights advocates and Christian leaders have reiterated calls for urgent government intervention, insisting that rural communities in the North-West continue to pay a high price for insecurity despite repeated assurances from authorities.
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