Gunmen kidnap another pastor in Kaduna

Gunmen have reportedly abducted Elisha Noma, a pastor of Nagarta Baptist Church, Angwan Makiri in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state.

The armed men numbering about 20 reportedly abducted the pastor alongside his son around 1:30am on Wednesday.

They were said to have forced their way into the pastor’s house and carted away some valuables too.

Emmanuel was later released by the abductors.

According to Emmanuel, they threatened to kill his father if they failed to bring an unspecified amount of money within five days as ransom.

“They came around 1 am. They were about 20 armed men came to the village and started hitting at doors but nobody opened. They then forced their way into houses and vandalised properties. They carted away some valuables including mobile phones and clothing in my mother’s box,” Emmanuel said.

“They picked me together with my father. But after a while into the bush, I was released and they went away with my father. One of them was dressed in military camouflage.

“As they released me, they threatened that if we fail to bring money in five days, even though they didn’t mention the specific ransom, they will kill him.

“We are yet to report to the police because even when we had similar experience in the past and we contacted them, they did not do anything about it. So, it is of no use.”

The abduction is coming barely 10 days after Jeremiah Omolewa, a resident pastor of the Living Faith Church in Romi New Extension, a suburb in Kaduna state, was killed while his wife was abducted.

The incident had happened along the Kaduna-Abuja road.

Last week, Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), told TheCable that the church had spent over N300 million to secure release of members who have been kidnapped in the last four years.

He said over 500 members of CAN have been abducted in the state between 2015 and 2019.