Kaduna CAN chairman kicks as gunmen kill pastor, abduct wife

Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kaduna, has lamented over the high level of insecurity in the state.

He spoke to reporters shortly 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 happened along the Kaduna-Abuja road on Sunday. The pastor, his wife and son were traveling to Abuja when he was killed.

The gunmen were said to have opened fire on their vehicle, killing the pastor on the spot before taking his wife into the bush.

However, the son was said to have escaped. Sources said the abductors later contacted the family of the victim to demand a ransom of N50 million.

Hayab lamented the increasing rate of kidnappings in Kaduna, especially the abduction of clergy men.

He said last Thursday a cleric in Kasuwan Magani in Kajuru local government area was attacked by gunmen at his residence while his security guard was killed.

He added that in the same LGA, the daughter of a Baptist pastor was abducted and the kidnappers were demanding a huge sum as ransom

The CAN chairman also narrated how gunmen invaded the residence of a pastor and took him away.

“As at Friday, the kidnappers were asking us to pay N4 million or we should not call them again for the release of the pastor,” he said.

”Now the Living Faith Church pastor was abducted along Kaduna-Abuja and was killed while his wife was abducted. That tells you that the new trend is to attack us in our homes or in our churches or on the roads. We are just not safe anywhere and we are asking the same question we have been asking; where are our security agencies?

“Are we being told tactically that we should defend ourselves? If we start defending ourselves, it means that we no longer have security or we no longer have government. Or is this government only for those they love and they don’t care about others?

“We feel strongly that the federal government and the Inspector General of Police should do something about Kaduna, since we have a governor who does not listen and feels he knows everything.

“Even after the killing of the security guards to the parish priest he heard that he called the priest; is it calling calling the victims that we want or addressing the security challenges. If you speak to me as Rev. Hayab when criminals attack me, what help have you done to me? You are not helping to stop the attack. So we are really concerned and concerned that people, especially clergies in Kaduna are no longer safe.

“We don’t want a situation where we will be force to think of how to protect ourselves, we believe that government is there to protect us.”

As of the time of filing this report, Yakubu Sabo, spokesman of the Kaduna state police command, could not be reach for reaction as his telephone line was switched off.