Armed gunmen identified only as “terrorists” broke into a church in Kaduna, Nigeria Tuesday and kidnapped the Catholic priest, Father Joseph Aketeh.
The Chancellor of the Catholic Deanery of Kaduna Diocese, Reverend Father Anthony Dodo, reported that the gunmen broke into the parish compound in the early hours of Tuesday and shot the security guard at the gate, before moving to the priests’ residence.
Father Dodo said the terrorists broke into the room where Father Aketeh was sleeping and took him away, while a second priest managed to escape without being kidnapped.
The gunmen reportedly arrived in large numbers and remained in the area of Kudendan, a suburb of Kaduna, for over an hour, moving from one location to another within the community.
“The terrorists were firing shots indiscriminately around the community. They went from one location to the other,” one eyewitness told local media.
“It is like St John’s Catholic Church was one of their targets. They broke into the church and abducted Rev. Fr. Joseph Aketeh, at his residence,” the witness said. “The guard went into hiding when he saw them, but as they were leaving with the priest, they sighted him and killed him.”
“There was fear and apprehension everywhere. Nobody slept throughout the night because of fear. A woman and her two children were also kidnapped,” the witness stated.
According to Father Dodo, this latest abduction brings the number of Catholic priests kidnapped by bandits in Kaduna Diocese alone to a total of eight. Dodo also criticized the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as a total failure in securing the lives and property of the citizens.