At least two people have been killed and several worshippers have been abducted after gunmen attacked a church in Kaduna State.

It’s been reported bandits entered the church, shooting indiscriminately during Sunday’s service.

While the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the attack to local news outlet Channels Television, he did not disclose the number of people abducted.

Chairman of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev Joseph Hayab, told Sahara Reporters the attack was “another sad story of how deteriorating our insecurity has become.”

Rev Hayab added: “Citizens are being killed like chickens with only press statements as consolation.

“These evil people have troubled us for too long. I condole with the families of the Baptist denomination and Kaduna Christians for these losses and urge our security agencies to separate war against enemies of Nigerians from politics. No one knows who the next target will be.”

The attack comes four months after 121 school children were abducted from Bethel Baptist Church also in Kaduna state. Of those children, 21 remain in captivity.

Many activists have warned attacks against Christians in the country have escalated in the last few years. In May, Human Rights Without Frontiers revealed 3,462 Christians in Nigeria had been “hacked to death” during the first half of 2021.

Nigeria currently ranks nine in Open Door’s list of countries where Christians are persecuted the most.