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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Panic gripped worshippers at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi, Affa, in Udi Local Government of Enugu State yesterday after suspected armed kidnappers reportedly invaded the church premises and abducted a seminarian and other worshippers.
The attack, which residents said occurred as parishioners gathered for Mass amid a downpour, threw the community into confusion as terrified worshippers fled the church in search of safety.
A video circulating on social media showed residents alleging that the attackers, believed to be at least seven in number, stormed the church and took away several worshippers, including a seminarian.
According to the residents, some people who were on their way to the church met worshippers running out of the premises while raising the alarm that gunmen had invaded the church. The villagers said they immediately mobilised and pursued the kidnappers into the surrounding bush but were unable to confront them because the gunmen were heavily armed, while they had no weapons.
“We are ready to defend our community and even go into the bush after these criminals, but how do we do that without arms?” one resident lamented in the video.
The residents also decried the poor state of equipment available to members of the local vigilante group, saying they lacked the weapons needed to confront armed criminals. They appealed to the government and security agencies to strengthen security in the area to prevent further attacks. According to the residents, one of the victims had returned home to bury his late father before he was abducted during the church attack.
However, the Enugu State Police Command gave a different account of the number of victims, confirming that three persons were abducted during the incident. The Command disclosed that a joint security team comprising police operatives, Forest Guards and members of the Neighbourhood Watch immediately launched a rescue operation, forcing the fleeing gunmen to abandon one of the victims, who was rescued unhurt, while the attackers escaped with the remaining two victims.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the Commissioner of Police, Mamman Giwa, had directed the Area Commander in Oji River and the Head of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to intensify operations to ensure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and the arrest of the suspects.
The Commissioner also appealed to residents to remain calm and continue providing credible information to security agencies, assuring them that every available operational resource was being deployed to secure the release of the remaining victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The incident has heightened concerns over the security situation in parts of Enugu State, with residents calling for increased security presence around places of worship and vulnerable rural communities to curb the rising threat of kidnapping and other violent crimes.
Meanwhile, a joint security team comprising police operatives, Forest Guards and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group has intensified operations and launched a manhunt for the armed men alleged to have abducted three persons within the church premises.
In a statement, the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the operatives mounted a swift response and pursued the fleeing suspects, forcing them to abandon one of the victims, who was immediately rescued unhurt.
He said: “The operatives, while closing in on the fleeing suspects, forced them to abandon one of the victims, who was immediately rescued unhurt. The assailants, however, escaped with the remaining two victims.
“The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has directed the Area Commander, Oji-River, and the Head of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to further intensify ongoing operations and deploy all available operational assets to ensure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and the apprehension of the suspects.
“He also directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Intelligence Department (SID) to immediately generate actionable human and technical intelligence in support of the operation, while activating the surveillance and technical capabilities of the Enugu State Command-and-Control Centre to bolster the ongoing rescue efforts.
“The Commissioner urges residents of the community to remain calm and continue to support the Police with credible and actionable information, assuring them that every available resource is being deployed to secure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
