The Pastor of Christian Evangelical Fellowship of Nigeria (CEFN) Church, Pastor Friday Adehi, and Brother Gabriel Ezekiel of the same church were kidnapped shortly after church service on Sunday.
The Guardian gathered that both clergies were travelling on a motorcycle when they ran into the kidnappers along Ajegwu-Ojodu road in Ofu Local Government of Kogi State.
The church members were said to have attended a naming ceremony of another member of the church after their service on Sunday and were returning to their residence in Itobe when they were abducted at gunpoint.
An eyewitness said, “The incident happened between 3-4 pm on 24th August 2025 (Sunday) when both members of the church were returning from Ojodu to Itobe riding on his bike with another man accompanying him. Then the kidnappers, who were laying 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.”
The Guardian learnt that the local vigilantes, under the joint task force with the military, are already on the trail of the kidnappers.
A community effort to clear the bushes along the main road from Itobe to Anyigba to expose kidnappers laying ambush by the roadside is in progress through funds contributed by philanthropic individuals, including Dr. Simeon Oyigu.
Meanwhile, the CEFN Church and other Christian faithful have declared prayers and fasting for God’s intervention in the safety and freedom of the church members.
The Guardian reports that only yesterday, the apex Igala socio-cultural organisations, ICDA and Ukomu Igala, called on the Kogi State government to prioritise the deployment of drone technology to effectively track kidnappers and bandits using the forests as their hideouts to negotiate ransom.
The groups believe strongly that only with such a strategy will the joint task force achieve results in their war against criminals in the forests.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye, was, however, unavailable to confirm the incident as his phone line was not accessible.