At least 20 Nigerian churchgoers held hostage by gunmen

Lagos [Nigeria], May 10: Gunmen attacked a church in northern Nigeria and are holding 20 worshippers hostage, a church official confirmed on Tuesday. "The gunmen came to the church well armed and kidnapped everybody they met," Reverend Joseph Hayab, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State, told DPA. Twenty-two people managed to escape the gunmen after they attacked the Bege Baptist Church in a remote village of Kaduna State during the Sunday service, Hayab said. Those abducted included many women and children, he said, adding that the gunmen still have 20 people in their hold.
The church attack is the latest in a spate of abductions by armed groups who have also been known to carry out mass kidnappings of schoolchildren in northern Nigeria. The armed groups, locally referred to as "bandits," have links with local jihadist groups such as Boko Haram. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune