Gunmen abduct cleric, two worshippers in Benue

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

A senior pastor of the Universal Reformed Christian Church, popularly known as NKST, Rev. Dr Samuel Gbinde, and two members of his congregation have been abducted by armed men in the Andyar community in the Guma Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State.

It was gathered that the cleric and the two victims were reportedly whisked from the pastor’s residence in the early hours of Tuesday and taken to an unknown destination by yet-to-be-identified gunmen who stormed the home in a commando fashion.

According to the source who preferred anonymity, “The armed men whose identity we cannot tell at the moment came very late at night and broke into the home of the pastor.

“They were shooting sporadically to scare the people away before taking him and two other members of the church whom they saw with him.

“We cannot tell who could be responsible, but the community is a place that is isolated and very close to Logo LGA, which is known for banditry and armed herdsmen attacks,” he said.

Confirming the development in a statement, the General Secretary of NKST, Rev. Dr T. A. Targba, described the incident as unfortunate while calling on Christians and the public to pray for the safe return of the victims.

Part of the statement read, “It is with a heavy heart, yet with unwavering confidence in the sovereignty of Almighty God, that we announce the unfortunate abduction of our cleric, Rev. Dr Samuel Gbinde, along with two members of his congregation in the early hours of today, 30 June 2026.”

According to the church, the three victims were taken from the pastor’s residence at the Andyar parish, throwing the congregation and the entire NKST family into mourning.

The church appealed to all its clergy, congregations, departments, institutions, members and friends to unite in fervent prayers for the safe and unconditional release of the abducted cleric and the two church members.

“The leadership of the NKST calls upon all clergy, members, congregations and friends of the church to unite in earnest prayer during this difficult time for the safe and unconditional release of Rev. Dr Gbinde and the two church members.

“We also pray that God will grant strength, comfort and hope to their families, the congregation at Andyar and the entire NKST family,” Rev. Targba stated.

The church also called on security agencies, as well as the Benue State and Federal Governments, to move swiftly to rescue the victims and ensure that those behind the abduction are arrested and prosecuted.

Expressing concern over the persistent wave of kidnappings and insecurity in parts of the country, the NKST urged both the state and federal governments to adopt more proactive and sustained strategies to tackle the menace.

“It is imperative to take the fight to the perpetrators rather than merely responding after these heinous crimes have been committed,” the church said.

Reaffirming its faith despite the incident, the church expressed confidence that the abducted cleric and his companions would return safely.

“As the people of God, we remain steadfast in faith, trusting in His unfailing protection and praying for the safe return of our brother, his companions and all those held captive.

“May the Lord continue to preserve His Church, comfort the affected families and grant peace and security to our land,” the statement added.

Efforts to get the reaction of the police public relations officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful.