Gunmen, who kidnapped retired Rev. Filibus Bamai of ECWA Church, Matuak Rimi, in Moro’a Chiefdom of Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have demanded N1 million ransom for his release.
A source close to the church gave this indication in Manchok on Tuesday.
The source said that Bamai, who retired from service on Dec. 17 after clocking 65 years of retirement age, was kidnapped on Sunday at 12:50 a.m. in his house.
The source said that the cleric was whisked away with only boxers on him while his wife was severely beaten with a stick and left with a cut on her head and bruises on her back.
It said that the kidnappers first demanded N5 million but reduced the ransom to N1 million after pleas.
“So far, about N300,000 has been mobilized. We call on security agencies to beef up security in the area to protect lives and properties,” the source said.
The spate of kidnappings is on the increase in rural communities where kidnappers take advantage of the porous security situation to pick victims at will.
Mr Sunday Bage, a prominent farmer in Pari village in the Chawai chiefdom of Kauru Local Government of Kaduna State, was kidnapped barely a week ago along with his wife, Listu.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in Kaduna, Mr Mansir Hassan, promised to call back “after reaching the Divisional Police Officer in the area”.
He never did.
