A Catholic Priest who is also the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Jos East local government area of Plateau State, Reverend James Kantoma has been kidnapped by gunmen.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the gunmen men numbering about six forced their way into the residence of the clerk man in the early hour of Monday and whisked him away to an unknown destination.
The cleric who is a Catholic priest of St Anthony’s Parish, Angware community in the local government was said to have been maltreated by the gunmen in the presence of other occupants of the house before they whisked him away.
A resident of the community Paul Aware told Tribune Online that when the gunmen arrived in the community early hours of the morning, they moved straight to the house of the Reverend Father.
“Some youths in the area, who were alerted, tried to stop and even gave them a hot chase into the bush but the gunmen started shooting everywhere and eventually took the Reverend Father away,” Aware said.
However, the State Chairman of CAN, Reverend Polycarp Lubo who confirmed the abduction of the cleric described the incident as unfortunate and appealed to the security agencies to step into the situation.
Lubo said, “Since the gunmen took the Reverend Father away, we have not heard anything either from him or the abductors up till this afternoon. This is so sad. But we are praying for him that no harm will befall him wherever he is.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the State Command, Alabo Alfred, said that the Command was aware of the incident and had deployed officers and men from the anti-kidnapping unit to the community.
“Our men are already working to ensure that the Reverend father regains his freedom and apprehend those behind the abduction,” the PPRO further added.
He called for calm saying the police are on top of the situation.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…Gunmen kidnap Reverend father Gunmen kidnap Reverend father
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…Gunmen kidnap Reverend father Gunmen kidnap Reverend father