The police in Kaduna state have launched a manhunt to arrest the criminals who abducted about eight members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, in Kaduna, on Friday.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jalige, told journalists that the command was working closely with the leadership of the RCCG in the state to ascertain the actual number of those that were abducted, to rescue them alive.
Meanwhile, the public relations officer of the Church in Kaduna province, Alao Joseph told Journalists that the church members were kidnapped by the bandits at about 7 pm on Friday along Kachia road. He also said the abductors have established contact with the leadership of the church, demanding a ₦50 million ransom.
According to him, the bandits whisked away from the church members and abandoned the bus they were travelling with. “The church has contacted the security agencies over the incident with the hope that they will help in securing the immediate rescue of the church members,” he said.
It’s true. It happened around 6:00 p.m. They are asking for N50 million,” the RCCG cleric, who’s a Special Assistant to the General Overseer, disclosed. Another church source in Kaduna said that the abducted persons were “adult missionaries, male and female, from Kaduna Province 1 going to Kafanchan for prayer work.”
It will be recalled that an engineer, Mr Eje Kenny Faraday, who said he “narrowly escaped being a victim,” had broken the news on his Facebook wall with the photograph of the empty bus around 7.00 p.m. on Friday.
“All passengers in the bus are just kidnapped along Kachia Road, Kilometre 63 from Kaduna,” he posted on his Facebook wall.
The inscription on the side of the bus reads, ‘The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Region 30, Trinity Sanctuary, Kaduna.’
‘’Kidnappers of a busload member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Region 30, Province 1, Kaduna State, have demanded N50 million for their release.’’
He added that eight members were kidnapped from the church bus at about 6:00 p.m while on their way for a church assignment.