The pastor of the Christian Evangelical Fellowship of Nigeria (CEFN) Church, Itobe, in the Ofun LGA of Kogi State, Pastor Friday Adehi, and another member of the church, Gabriel Ezekiel, have been abducted by unidentified gunmen.
The two men were abducted on Sunday shortly after the church service while riding on a motorcycle, when they encountered the kidnappers along the Ajegwu-Ojodu Road in the same local government area.
According to reports, Pastor Adehi and Ezekiel had attended a naming ceremony of a fellow church member after the Sunday service and were on their way back to Itobe when they were ambushed.
An eyewitness told reporters, “The incident happened between 3 and 4 p.m. on 24th August 2025 (Sunday) when both members of the church were returning from Ojodu to Itobe. The pastor was riding on his bike with another man accompanying him.
“Then the kidnappers, who were lying in ambush, suddenly burst onto the road when they sighted the motorcyclist approaching. The kidnappers stopped them at gunpoint and directed them into the bush.”
Local vigilante groups, working in collaboration with the military under a joint task force, have since launched a manhunt for the kidnappers.
Meanwhile, the CEFN Church and other Christian faithful have declared a period of prayers and fasting for divine intervention and the safe release of their pastor and member.
The apex Igala socio-cultural organisations, the Igala Cultural Development Association (ICDA) and Ukomu Igala, have urged the state government to embrace the use of modern technology in fighting insecurity.
They specifically called for the deployment of drones to track down kidnappers and bandits who exploit the forests as hideouts. The groups maintained that the strategy will enable the joint task force to achieve results in their war against criminals in the forests.
