Gunmen abduct pastor’s wife, three children in Borno

By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri

Suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists have abducted the wife of a pastor and his three children in Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.

The victims, whose identities have not been disclosed, were reportedly travelling to Damasak on Saturday when the attackers intercepted their vehicle near Kareto village and forced them to disembark.

A source from the community told journalists that the incident occurred around noon, adding that the victims were travelling from Maiduguri to Damasak.

The source said the woman, wife of the pastor in charge of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Moses G. Guguma, had recently been discharged from a hospital in Maiduguri after a prolonged illness before embarking on the journey.

“The terrorists stopped the commercial vehicle close to Kareto village and asked the pastor’s wife and her three children to come down, leaving other passengers and the driver,” the source said.

The whereabouts of the victims remained unknown as of the time of filing this report.

A resident of the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, appealed for prayers and support for the family, alleging that the victims may have been targeted because of their religious identity.

Damasak, located in Borno North Senatorial District, is about 156 kilometres by road from Maiduguri, the state capital, and has witnessed several attacks by insurgent groups in recent years.

Security agencies were yet to issue an official statement on the incident at the time of filing this report.