Nigeria’s army said it had rescued 31 civilians taken hostage during an attack on a church in northwestern Kaduna state on Sunday, while five people were found dead at the scene.

The army said the attack took place during an Easter church service in Ariko village, in the southern part of the state, and that troops were chasing the attackers.

The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna state, Caleb Maaji, said two churches were attacked in Ariko on Sunday. He told Reuters: "Findings are still ongoing," adding that seven people were killed and an unknown number taken hostage.

Northwest Nigeria has struggled for years with violence, including mass kidnappings for ransom and village raids, especially against Christians, with armed groups operating from vast forest hideouts across the region.

Several advocacy groups and politicians have expressed concern for the safety of Christians in Nigeria, which has remained among the top ten countries where Christians face the most severe persecution over the past five years. Last month, however, a senior advisor to the Nigerian president dismissed claims that Christians are being specifically targeted, saying the country is grappling with a broader security crisis rather than religiously motivated violence.

The attacks come despite a police directive for a "massive security deployment" at places of worship during Easter. Ariko village, around 62 miles north of the capital Abuja, has been targeted in previous incidents of violence against civilians.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is home to over 250 ethnic groups and is roughly divided between a Muslim north and a Christian south, with significant mixing in central regions.