Panic gripped worshippers at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi, Affa, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State on Sunday morning after suspected armed kidnappers reportedly invaded the church premises and abducted a seminarian and other worshippers.
The attack, which residents said occurred as parishioners gathered for Mass amid a downpour, threw the community into confusion as frightened worshippers fled for safety.
In a video circulating online, some residents alleged that the attackers, believed to be at least seven in number, stormed the church and whisked away several worshippers, including a seminarian.
According to the residents, those on their way to the church met worshippers running out of the premises and raising the alarm over the attack.
The villagers said they immediately mobilised and pursued the kidnappers into the surrounding bush but were unable to confront them because the gunmen were heavily armed, while they had no weapons.
“We are ready to defend our community and even go into the bush after these criminals, but how do we do that without arms?” one resident said in the video.
The residents also lamented that members of the local vigilante group lack the weapons needed to confront armed criminals and appealed to the government and security agencies to strengthen security in the area.
One of the victims, according to the residents, had reportedly returned home to bury his late father before he was abducted during the church attack.
However, the Enugu State Police Command confirmed that three persons were abducted during the incident. The Command said a joint security team comprising police operatives, Forest Guards and members of the Neighbourhood Watch immediately launched a rescue operation, forcing the fleeing gunmen to abandon one of the victims, who was rescued unhurt, while the attackers escaped with the remaining two victims.
Police spokesman Daniel Ndukwe said the Commissioner of Police, Mamman Giwa, has directed the Area Commander, Oji River, and the Head of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to intensify operations to ensure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and the arrest of the suspects.
The Commissioner also appealed to residents to remain calm and continue providing credible information to security agencies, assuring them that every available operational resource was being deployed to rescue the remaining victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.
