Bandits have killed one Pastor Dauda Bature who was in charge of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) parish in the Narayi area of Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State.
Bature, who was initially abducted by the armed men, was killed despite the payment of an unspecified amount of money to his captors as a ransom for his release.
Although police authorities in Kaduna have yet to react to the killing, a top member of the church confirmed the death of the clergyman to Channels Television on Saturday.
The source who does not want his identity disclosed explained that the bandits kidnapped Bature on November 8 while he was working on his farm.
His farm is said to be situated at a location not far from the Rigasa Train Station on the outskirts of the Kaduna metropolis.
According to the church member, the body of the pastor was found some days ago after his family had paid the ramson demanded by his abductors.
In a related development, bandits invaded Oil village in Chikun LGA where they forcefully took away a woman and her four children to an unknown location.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Kaduna, Muhammed Jalige, who confirmed the incident in a statement, revealed that the assailants carried out simultaneous attacks on a residential area at Sabo GRA in the LGA.
“In the early hours of 11th December 2021 at about 0105hrs, the Kaduna Police Command through Divisional Police Officer Sabon Tasha Division Kaduna acted on a distress call received from a good Samaritan to the fact that some suspected armed bandits numbering about 30 with some in military gears and bearing dangerous weapons, were making ferocious effort to break into a residential area at Sabo GRA in Chikun LGA of the State in an attempt to commit a heinous crime,” he said.
On receiving the distress call, Jalige stated that operatives were immediately mobilised with the support of other security agents to the scene with a view to thwarting the bandits’ intention.
He added that the criminals, on sensing the presence of security agents, started shooting indiscriminately while the operatives swiftly returned fire and succeeded in foiling the attempt.
The command’s spokesman explained that the criminals, who were frustrated by the police and other security operatives, set the residence ablaze and fled into the bush.
“Unfortunately, it was discovered that the bandits operated simultaneously with one at oil village in the same Sabo location where they kidnapped a woman and her four children to an unknown destination,” he said.
According to Jalige, the police have launched investigations into the two incidents and effort is ongoing to rescue the abducted victims.
He assured the residents that the police were doing everything possible to restore normalcy in the area and called for the support and cooperation of the people.
