The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised serious concerns over the recent abduction of more than 170 church members in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area, by suspected bandits.

Hon. Maria Dogo, State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, said in a statement on Thursday that the “embarrassing attempt by government and security officials to initially deny what the people were already suffering was too much to bear.”

The party stressed that since 2015, it has deliberately chosen not to politicise security matters, opting instead for restraint and constructive engagement whenever lives are at stake.

The statement added, “Unfortunately, this sense of responsibility has been exploited by a government that prefers denial to honesty.”

The PDP noted with dismay that insecurity has worsened across Kajuru, Kauru, Kachia, parts of Lere, and other communities in Southern Kaduna, even as “government appointees and sponsored social media operatives shamelessly praised the government for tackling insecurity that exists only in press statements.”

The party said the recurring pattern of denial followed by reluctant admission “exposes a government more interested in managing narratives than protecting lives.”

It concluded by stressing that “denial does not stop bandits, just as propaganda does not rescue abducted citizens.”