Nigerian army rescues 31 held after Easter church attack

Thirty-one civilians held hostage following a Sunday morning church attack in north-west Nigeria have been rescued, the army has said.

Five others were killed as gunmen targeted Easter celebrations at a church in Ariko, Kaduna state, according to a statement from the security forces. A local church official had earlier put the number of dead at seven.

The army said soldiers engaged the attackers in a "fierce firefight", forcing them to flee and leave the hostages and the bodies of the dead victims behind.

Attacks and kidnappings for ransom are common occurrences in northern Nigeria, as the country grapples with security threats from jihadist groups and armed gangs, locally known as bandits.

Although the army said it responded swiftly to Sunday's attack, local media report that residents said the gunmen operated for a long time without facing resistance.

As a result of the firefight, officials said the "fleeing terrorists" had "significant casualties, as evidenced by blood trails along their escape routes".

Troops had also been deployed to hunt the insurgents and reinforce security.

The army has urged residents to share information that can support operations against groups fuelling insecurity across the country.

In a separate incident, Nigeria's military killed 65 bandits following an offensive in Zamfara state, the AFP news agency reported on Sunday, days after a large group of bandits abducted residents from villages ‌in the state.

Police had on Saturday confirmed that there had been a mass abduction in villages in the state earlier in the week and a manhunt had been launched.

Late last year, the administration of US President Donald Trump raised concerns about the treatment of Christians in Nigeria - and urged the government to do more to improve security and strengthen protection for Christian communities.

Trump had previously claimed there was a "Christian genocide" under way in Nigeria - an allegation strongly rejected by Nigeria's government, which said Muslims, Christians and people of no faith were victims of attacks.

In February, US troops were deployed to Nigeria to train its forces and help them with intelligence in their fight against Islamist militants and other armed groups.

Additional reporting by Basillioh Rukanga

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