Ansaru Terrorists Drag Christians Into Nigerian Forests as Government Does Nothing

Ansaru Terrorists Abduct Christians and Civilians in Kogi Kwara Forest Corridor Nigeria

Armed men linked to the Ansaru terrorist insurgency attacked Egbe county in Yagba West Local Government Area, Kogi State on Saturday night, March 7, abducting farmers and travelers from Christian communities.

The attackers struck near Path Way Hotel around 9 p.m., firing sporadically before forcing victims into nearby forest paths commonly used for rapid getaway by rural armed groups, according to Egbe Mekun Media.

Community sources reported that at least five people were abducted between March 7 and March 8 across Yagba West County, including farmers, travelers, and a Christian pastor journeying along the Eruku to Egbe road.

Days before the latest attack, youths in Egbe had blocked a federal highway to protest the continuous kidnappings terrorizing their community, demanding urgent government intervention to secure the area.

Security analysts warn that the Kogi to Kwara kidnappings mirror patterns of violence seen across Nigeria's Middle Belt, including Kaduna and Niger states. Smaller Ansaru aligned networks are believed to operate covertly across forest belts in Kogi, Kwara, Niger, and Kaduna states.

Ansaru, an al Qaeda linked extremist faction, relies heavily on kidnappings for ransom, highway ambushes, and raids on isolated settlements to fund its operations. Multiple forest corridors allow the group to rotate captives and evade security patrols, severely complicating response efforts.

Al Qaeda Linked Ansaru Faction Targets Christians in Northern Nigeria Forest Belt

The latest abductions add to a growing toll of violence against Christian communities in the region. In January 2026, Christian hostages regained their freedom from terrorists in Kogi State after a separate kidnapping ordeal. In October 2025, nine passengers were kidnapped along the same Egbe to Ilorin highway, including two white garment church leaders identified as Prophet Micheal and Iyabode Asubiojo.

Despite claims of military operations in the region, local residents say the security response remains woefully inadequate. Neither the Kogi State Police spokesperson William Aya nor Kwara State spokesperson Adetoun Ejire Adeyemi have publicly addressed the escalating crisis with concrete plans.

The Crusader's Opinion

Christians are being hunted like animals in the forests of Nigeria by al Qaeda terrorists, and the world says nothing. If an armed gang abducted five Muslims from a church parking lot in Texas, every news network on earth would be running the story within the hour. But when Ansaru jihadists drag Christian farmers and pastors into the forest at gunpoint, the silence is deafening. The Nigerian government has abandoned its own people to the wolves. Every Christian community along this corridor lives in a state of perpetual terror, and the global church cannot afford to look away. This is not a regional security problem. This is a war on the Body of Christ.

Take Action

• Donate: Support persecuted Nigerian Christians through The Shepherd's Shield, Open Doors USA, or Voice of the Martyrs
• Pray: Pray specifically for the Christians kidnapped in Egbe, Kogi State, for their safe return and for comfort for their families
• Contact Your Representative: Call or email your member of Congress and demand accountability for U.S. foreign aid to Nigeria, which continues despite the government's failure to protect Christians
• Share This Story: Post this article on social media and ask why mainstream media refuses to cover the systematic persecution of Christians in Nigeria
• Report to International Bodies: Contact the International Religious Freedom Roundtable at IRFRoundtable.org to report these ongoing abductions