No fewer than 25 members of the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Igan, Akure, Ondo State have been kidnapped by some hoodlums in the state on Friday.
The victims, said to be members of the church’s choir, were reportedly attacked and kidnapped on the Benin-Akure Expressway around Ifon axis in Ose Local Government Area of the state, Friday evening.
They were said to be travelling to Ifon for a burial ceremony while the hoodlums waylaid them and dragged them to the bush to an unknown destination.
Police in Ondo State have confirmed the abduction of some Christian worshippers travelling for a burial programme by gunmen at Ifon in Ose Local Government Area of the state.
According to them, the abducted persons are members of the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Igan, Akure, the state capital.
Police Spokesperson in the state, SP Olufunmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, who confirmed the abduction in a statement on Saturday, said the worshippers were kidnapped on Friday afternoon.
“Yesterday afternoon, the police were informed that a church bus with the inscription CAC was abandoned around Elegbeka area and there are suspicions that the passengers in the vehicle were kidnapped.
“The Police Anti-kidnapping squad and other tactical teams have been deployed to the area to rescue the victims and arrest all involved in the crime,” Odunlami-Omisanya said.
A family member of one of the abductees who pleaded anonymity said that the worshippers were kidnapped at Elegbeka after Ifon in the Ose council area while travelling for a burial ceremony.
“The vehicle conveying the kidnapped choir members was seen abandoned by the roadside,” the woman said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Owo-Ifon has been a nightmare for motorists due to incessant cases of kidnapping and armed robbery on the route.
