Three days after gunmen attacked the Elyon Paradise Ministry Church in Asagba Ogwashi, Delta State, abducting six worshippers and brutally assaulting the pastor, the kidnappers have yet to contact the victims’ families.
The armed men stormed the church during a Friday vigil, shooting the pastor, Apostle Divine Omodia, and severing two of his fingers before whisking away six congregants to an unknown location.
“The pastor was rushed to the hospital, where medical personnel are fighting to save his life,” a source told PUNCH Metro on Sunday. “As of today, the kidnappers have not made any contact or demanded ransom.”
Divine’s wife, Pastor Faith Omodia, recounted the terrifying ordeal, stating that the attackers fired indiscriminately into the church auditorium.
“I was lying down with my baby in the church hall when I heard gunshots. Suddenly, bullets started flying inside the auditorium,” she said.
She revealed that her husband was shot in the lap and lost two fingers in the attack.
The gunmen then rounded up the worshippers, forcing them outside before abducting six of them, including two security guards.
The victims were identified as Helen Onwuamaeze, Ariyo Emmanuel, Chike Okolo, and Blessing Waye, along with the unnamed guards.
Confirming the attack, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Delta State Command, SP Bright Edafe, said a rescue team had been deployed to track the abductors.
