Gunmen kidnap 19 individuals and kill a clergyman in Niger state.

No less than 19 individuals have been kidnapped by gunmen in Ogu and Tegina communities in Rafi Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State.

Channels TV reviews that residents of Ogu community say the gunmen stormed the community on Sunday morning December 13 and began shooting into the air.

“The gunmen in their large number arrived in Ogu on motorcycles and before we knew what was happening, they started shooting into the air.

They ransacked people’s houses and whatever valuable they could lay their hands on, they carted away.

They also abducted six persons from Ogu. Four of the persons abducted were members of one family while the other two were visitors to the community” Kamal Wayam, a resident stated

Additionally speaking, a resident of Tegina community, Sanni Gamachindo, stated that the gunmen stormed their neighborhood at about 12:30am today Monday, December 14, and kidnapped 16 individuals.

“The gunmen entered the room of my daughter that night, but she hid herself under the bed, while her husband went up the ceiling,” Sani Gamachindo, a resident of the community, told Mohammed,

He added, “When the gunmen entered their room, they spent like 30 minutes and ate almost all the food in the kitchen. Thank God they were not abducted, but 16 persons were kidnapped.”

In an associated development, a priest with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Jeremiah Ibrahim, was killed by gunmen in Chukuba community in Shiroro LGA on Friday, December 11. 

A senior official of the church who spoke on situation of anonymity stated that Pastor Ibrahim had gone to check his farm in Chukuba and decided to go to a colleague who was the resident pastor of Chukuba when he was attacked and killed. He stated that the clergyman has since been buried.

“This is coming barely two weeks after six missionaries of ECWA and the wife of one of them were abducted,” he stated

The state police command is yet to comment on the latest developments.