More than 150 worshippers have been abducted by gunmen from three separate churches in Nigeria.
The simultaneous attacks took place on Sunday in Kurmin Wali, a community in the Kajuru area of Kaduna state, northwest Nigeria.
Usman Danlami Stingo, a lawmaker representing the area at the state parliament, said they took place at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), another church belonging to the denomination Cherubim and Seraphim and at a Catholic church in the region.
"As of yesterday, 177 people were missing, and 11 came back. So we have 168 still missing," he said.
Police in Kaduna state have not commented.
No group has taken responsibility.
Such attacks are common in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where multiple gangs and religious armed groups attack remote communities with limited security and government presence.
The northern region of the country has been hit hardest.
Similar attacks on churches have sparked allegations of the persecution of Christians by U.S. President Donald Trump and some American lawmakers.
The U.S. government launched military strikes in Sokoto on Dec. 25, allegedly targeting an Islamic State group in the region.
The Nigerian government has rejected the characterization of the country's escalating security crises as a "Christian genocide."
Also on Sunday, Nigerian air force strikes reportedly killed over 40 militants and destroyed around 10 canoes in Borno state, the military announced.
The operations, part of ongoing efforts, targeted Lake Chad groups.
Borno remains the epicentre of a 17-year Islamist insurgency in Nigeria's northeast, as Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters recently escalated attacks on military convoys and civilians.
Air force spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame confirmed airstrikes on 15 and 16 January in Musarram and Azir signal renewed military pressure on insurgents.
These groups frequently exploit the region's rugged terrain to launch raids on troops and nearby communities.
The air force stated that militants were hit in Musarram on Thursday following intelligence indicating they were massing in canoes to attack Baga town and the fish dam area of Lake Chad.
Ejodame said in a statement that "three bombing runs broke up the group, with fleeing gunmen tracked into nearby trees and neutralised."
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