The village head of Kurmin Wali, Ishaku Dan’azumi, has reported that 80 worshippers abducted in the January church attacks have been located after escaping on the day of the incident.
According to Dan’azumi, these individuals fled into the forest during the abduction but became lost and disoriented, preventing their immediate return. Fear also kept them in hiding, as they believed their home village had been razed like a neighboring community.
Contact was re-established only days later when one of the escapees was able to call and reveal their location. This allowed the community to organize search teams, who confirmed the 80 individuals were scattered across various forest settlements.
A headcount last Friday verified their whereabouts. While authorities have been formally notified, Dan’azumi says many of those found remain too fearful to return home. Search efforts continue in other areas for potential additional survivors still in hiding.
The January attacks on three churches in Kaduna State’s Kajuru Local Government Area initially resulted in the abduction of approximately 177 people, with 11 escaping during the abduction itself. With this group of 80 now located, 86 worshippers remain in captivity.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
