Just in: Gunmen abduct two pastors in Adamawa

Two pastors of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (Ekklesiyar Ya’Uwa A Nigeria, or EYN), Rev. James Kwayang and Rev. Ishaku Chiwar, have been abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers in Adamawa State.

According to The Nation, the incident occurred on Sunday, December 29, 2024, around 11 p.m. in the Fufore Local Government Area of the state.

The pastors were serving at the Local Council Church (LCC) branch in Mbila-Malibu, a rural area within Fufore.

According to sources close to the church, the gunmen stormed the area late in the night and abducted the two clergy members from their residence.

The motive behind the abduction is yet to be determined, but such incidents have become increasingly common in northern Nigeria, where gunmen target civilians for ransom or other criminal purposes.

The Church of the Brethren, headquartered in Kwarhi, Hong Local Government Area, has congregations spread across the North-East region.

The kidnapping has sent shockwaves through the church community, as both pastors were well-respected within the congregation and the wider Christian community in the region.

Suleiman Nguroje, the spokesman for the Adamawa State Police Command, confirmed the abduction and assured the public that the police are working tirelessly to track down the gunmen and ensure the safe release of the pastors.

“We have deployed personnel to the area and are doing everything possible to rescue the abducted clerics and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Nguroje stated.

This abduction marks another troubling incident in the ongoing security challenges faced by the region, as kidnapping for ransom has become a frequent threat in many northern Nigerian states.

In recent years, both civilians and religious leaders have increasingly fallen victim to these crimes, sparking widespread concerns about the safety of citizens and the growing influence of criminal groups in the region.

The local community and members of the Church of the Brethren have called for swift action to secure the release of the pastors and for greater efforts from the authorities to address the rising wave of insecurity in Adamawa and other parts of the North-East