Public outrage is mounting after police allegedly arrested an evangelist identified as Daniel for posting a video reporting an alleged bandit attack on a church crusade in Agboda village, Nasarawa State.
The development was revealed by X user Evangelist Isaac Agada (@Ruralevangelist), who said around noon on Wednesday that Daniel had been in police custody for more than 12 hours.
“Our brother in Christ, Evangelist Daniel who made a video reporting bandits’ attack in Agboda village in Nasarawa State has been arrested and in detention for the past 12 hours according to his wife, Elizabeth Ukpo Daniel,” Agada wrote.
The video posted by Daniel showed worshippers fleeing in different directions during a church programme amid panic over an alleged herdsmen attack.
Efforts by SaharaReporters to reach the Public Relations Officer of the Nasarawa State Police Command, Ramhan Nansel, were unsuccessful, as calls to his phone were not answered at the time of filing this report.
The incident comes at a time when Nigerians are increasingly alarmed by the rising wave of banditry across the country—attacks that have left communities devastated, families grieving, and many more living in fear.
Recently, a church in Kwara State was attacked during a service, resulting in the deaths of three worshippers.
SaharaReporters also reported that a parent of the abducted schoolchildren from St. Mary School in Niger State died recently. The disclosure was made by Rev. John Hayab, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Northern Region & Federal Capital Territory.
“One of the parents of the abducted children from the school died yesterday of a heart attack,” Hayab said during an appearance on AriseTV on Tuesday.
“Mr. Anthony died of a heart attack following the abduction of his three children.”
He added that many Nigerians do not fully grasp the emotional toll such tragedies inflict on affected families.
“People don’t understand that when you tell it as it is, you’re not speaking against anybody, you are only trying to state the problem,” he said.
“The pains, the trauma are still very fresh. We tried speaking to the parents today, and they were scared of speaking to us.”
The reported arrest of Evangelist Daniel has intensified calls for transparency from law enforcement and renewed concerns over the safety of citizens who raise alarm during security threats.
