Gunmen, believed to be kidnappers, abducted three pastors in Ejule, Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, shortly after they had ministered at a crusade in the town.
Reports indicate that the assailants ambushed the pastors on the streets of Ejule along the Ejule-Ofakaga-Anyigba road around 11pm on Monday, January 20, 2025, as they were leaving the crusade ground.
The three pastors, one of whom has been identified as Evangelist Gabriel Onaji, were guest ministers at the three-day event themed ‘Ejule Gospel Crusade’, hosted by local preacher Evangelist Sunday Oguche, president of God’s Care Missions, Okpo.
It appears Evangelist Sunday Oguche was the intended target of the kidnappers. Reports suggest he narrowly escaped abduction by choosing to spend the night in Anyigba rather than Ejule.
The three guest ministers were en route to their accommodation after concluding the second day of the crusade when the hoodlums attacked, forcibly taking them to an undisclosed location.
Their saloon car, which they used to travel to the crusade, was later found abandoned by the roadside in Ofakaga village along the Ejule-Anyigba road.
The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of N20 million for the release of the pastors, according to Ayefu John, a resident of Ejule who attended the crusade and knew one of the abducted ministers.
Evangelist Gabriel Onaji is reported to have been the former pastor of the United Evangelical Church (UEC) Headquarters on Okele Road in Ejule, before being transferred to Lokoja last year.
The identities of the other two abducted pastors remain unknown, but locals confirm they were associate pastors who accompanied Evangelist Sunday Oguche, the chief organiser of the crusade.
Attempts to reach the Kogi State Police Command’s spokesman, SP Williams Aya, for a response were unsuccessful at the time of this report.
