The Gombe State Police Command has officially denied viral social media reports of an attack and mass abduction at an Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) congregation in the state on Sunday.

The denial comes amid a climate of heightened anxiety in Nigeria following a series of major kidnappings across the country.

The alarm was raised on social media, notably in a Facebook post by chef Shiela Shallangwa, who claimed a friend in Gombe reported that members of an ECWA church had been “kidnapped… in broad daylight.”

However, the Gombe State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, has firmly dismissed these claims as false and misleading.

“The ECWA Church that they’re talking about, Chief Superintendent of Police and Superintendent of Police and other officers were there since 6:00hrs and nothing is happening there,” DSP Abdullahi stated. He urged the public to exercise caution and verify information before sharing unconfirmed reports online.

Context of Widespread Insecurity

The police denial arrives against a backdrop of severe security challenges in Nigeria. The nation is still reeling from one of its largest mass kidnappings in years, which occurred just days earlier in Niger State.

On Friday, November 21, 2025, armed bandits abducted 303 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School. This attack was preceded by other major abductions:

• November 17: 25 schoolgirls kidnapped from a secondary school in Kebbi State.
• November 18: 38 worshippers abducted from a church in Kwara State, during which several, including the pastor, were killed.

The Politicization of Violence

These incidents have intensified debate over the nature of Nigeria’s security crisis. Some international advocacy groups and U.S. politicians, including Senator Ted Cruz, argue that Christians face systematic persecution. This perspective recently led former President Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom, a move that allows for potential sanctions.

However, Nigerian authorities at both the federal and state levels consistently reject this framing. They argue that the violence is driven by complex factors including terrorism, banditry, and resource-based conflicts, rather than religious ideology, and that both Muslims and Christians are victims.

The swift police response in Gombe appears aimed at preventing the spread of misinformation that could inflame communal tensions during a period of national crisis.