Ransom for freedom
ECWA spent millions on ransoms for kidnapped members in Kaduna and Plateau, where congregations face targeted violence, with 50 still held.
The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) has spent hundreds of millions of naira on ransom payments to secure the release of its members, expressing deep concern over the ongoing targeting of its congregations, especially in Kaduna and Plateau states. ECWA General Secretary Ayuba Asheshe revealed that negotiations are ongoing for the release of approximately 50 members still in captivity. The church highlighted the severe financial strain these kidnappings have caused, with many families losing their livelihoods. ECWA also raised alarm over rising violence in Plateau, allegedly by Fulani militias, which the church views as a targeted attack on Christian communities.
Among the various community groups up north in Nigeria, the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) is uniquely positioned to speak about this national security crisis. It's not just about the sheer amount of ransom money they've had to shell out, but more to do with the fact that their churches are some of the most frequent targets, both up north and across the country. Since 2015, they've had at least 41 members and one of their pastors kidnapped, with some particularly nasty incidents like the 14 members taken in Giwa, Kaduna, back in December 2014, and another 27 snatched in Gabachuwa, Kaduna, in September 2021. On top of that, a couple of their church buildings were torched in Unguwan Maikori and Dogon Noma, also in Kaduna, in June 2015. Given that ECWA has over 5,000 congregations, it's likely there have been more attacks, including further burnings, but these haven't all been properly recorded.
These attacks are a reflection of the wider security mess that Nigeria is in. While the blighters doing the kidnapping might target churches because they think they can get a good ransom out of them, the real depth of this crisis isn't just about the money. According to SBM Intelligence's most recent report on the economics of kidnap, Nigerians paid out roughly ₦1.048 billion in ransom between July 2023 and June 2024. The states of Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina were the worst for both the number of kidnappings and the number of victims, and they also recorded the highest number of civilian deaths. These figures highlight the serious and ongoing security problem.
A big reason this crisis keeps dragging on is the apparent lack of proper will among Nigeria’s top brass to tackle it head-on. While the military has been doing most of the heavy lifting in security operations across the country, a few Northern governors, particularly in the Northwest, have tried to take more control by setting up their vigilante groups. Despite these efforts, the problem has just worsened, making it even more complicated by many unemployed young people and a lack of a joint-up response from the federal government.
The statement from ECWA shines a light on the growing humanitarian and security crisis in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where religious identity, a weak government presence, and insecurity being used as a weapon all come together, creating a dangerous pattern of targeted violence. The fact that ECWA has had to fork out hundreds of millions of naira in ransom not only shows the massive financial strain on religious organisations but also highlights the government's failure to do its basic job of protecting its citizens.
At the heart of this mess is a nasty cycle of mass kidnappings and violence in rural areas, particularly in Kaduna and Plateau states, where Christian communities are facing what looks like systematic attacks. Survivors and religious leaders often describe these attacks as a form of ethnic and religious cleansing. While the government tends to play these incidents down, calling them communal clashes or just banditry, ECWA's accusation of Fulani militia involvement reflects a deep-seated fear within Christian communities that they are being deliberately targeted, not just for ransom but also to force them off their land and change the demographics of the area.
The fact that around 50 more ECWA members are still being held captive shows how alarmingly normal these abductions have become – a proper economy of terror. This thrives in the gap left by weak policing, patchy intelligence networks, and a judiciary that doesn't have enough resources. ECWA being forced to act as both negotiator and bankroller in these abductions is a worrying sign that non-government groups, rather than the state, are deciding the fate of ordinary people. This erodes trust in national institutions, pushing communities to rely on their ways of surviving, which are financially and emotionally unsustainable.
The financial impact of this crisis is devastating. Churches like ECWA, which traditionally are a real lifeline for communities – providing schools, healthcare, and a sense of togetherness – are having their resources completely drained. Families of the victims, many of whom have already lost their homes or their livelihoods because of attacks, are being pushed further into poverty, trauma, and displacement. This financial bleeding weakens the resilience of whole communities, making them even more vulnerable to future violence.
Furthermore, ECWA's warning about the increasing attacks in Plateau State adds a worrying dimension to the whole security situation: the way ethnic militias are moving into Christian-majority areas with weapons. Whether it's called farmer-herder clashes, land disputes, or ethnic grievances, the government's failure to properly investigate and prosecute this violence only makes people suspect that the state is either turning a blind eye or, even worse, deliberately favouring one side. Ignoring these dynamics risks turning Nigeria’s Middle Belt into a long-term conflict zone, where these grievances fester and turn into lasting hatred.
ECWA’s statement isn't just them asking for attention; it's a stark warning that the very foundations of peaceful coexistence in a diverse Nigeria are under threat. The response needs to be more than just words. Policy changes should include proper federal security measures in the areas that are known hotspots, justice through special courts for these mass violence incidents, tackling the root causes of people being displaced and land disputes, and making sure that discussions between different faiths are happening and mean something.
ECWA’s situation is a prime example of a wider problem: when communities are left to negotiate with kidnappers, pay to get their people back, and bury their dead without seeing any justice, it's not just their faith that’s being tested – it's the very legitimacy of the Nigerian state. The big question is whether the government will respond with urgency, fairness, and determination to this situation's demands.