Gunmen kill pastor, abduct wife in Kaduna

Moments after some gunmen attacked Nasara Baptist Church, Guguwa, near Rigasa in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State and killed the pastor, Reverend Hosea Akuchi with his wife whisked away, the abductors have placed a N5 million ransom on her head.

A source in the troubled area had said the attackers invaded the church premises at about 1:00a.m. on Monday and forced their way into the apartment of the clergyman, shot him and took his wife, Mrs. Talatu Hosea Akuchi, away.

The source said yesterday: “The abductors said we need to pay them N5 million before they can release her to us.

They call a family phone line to tell us that heartless talk after killing the reverend in cold blood.

“How can this injustice continue in a country like Nigeria without any serious measures in place to check the activities of these people.

You can imagine that they now have the gut to walk into people’s home, kill and abduct and also have an effrontery to demand for ransom. Where and how can we get that money?

How can we become prisoners in our own country as law abiding citizens?”

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Kaduna Police Command, DSP Yakubu Sabo had earlier confirmed that the clergyman was shot while struggling with attackers whose intention may be to abduct him.

However, Sabo, who earlier confirmed the killing of the reverend, told The Guardian that no ransom was placed on the abducted woman.

According to Sabo: “The assertion that a ransom is been placed on the women is not true.

This rumour of N5 million has started going wild, even before establishing contact with them.

Investigation is still in progress and if there is any updates regarding the incident, it will be made known to the press,” the PPRO added.

Meanwhile, residents of Federal Housing Estate and the adjoining Emelogu Road in Ogbor Hill axis of Aba, Abia State have reportedly been thrown into mourning as yet-to-be identified gunmen storm the area and shot dead a commercial tricycle operator whose identity is yet to be known.

The gunmen numbering about four had accosted the tricycle operator whose name was later identified as Kalu, an indigene of Abiriba, in Ohafia Local Government of the state and demanded the keys to his Keke which sources suspected would be used by the hoodlums to perpetuate evil as that has been their style of beating prying eyes of security agencies.

The commercial tricycle operator, who was said to be living in a near Emelogu Road, was reported to have refused parting with the keys to his keke, which forced the hoodlums to shoot him.

The victim was said to have died instantly because he was shot from a close range.

The men of the underworld was said to have made away with the tricycle, leaving the keke operator in the pool of his own blood.

A source hinted that the commercial tricycle operator was heading towards Ngwa Road from Ogbor Hill when on getting close to the Orji Uzor Kalu Bridge, the hoodlums accosted him.

The source said the victim who was to get married to his heartthrob in less than one month’s time, initially thought the men were passengers who wanted to engage his services.