By Babajide Okeowo
The worsening state of insecurity in the northern part of the country was brought to the fore again as gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted the Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Apostle Emmanuel Bako at a praying camp in Kaduna State.
The sad development was confirmed by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan in a statement on Saturday.
He explained that unidentified gunmen attacked the Albarka Praying Camp along the Afana-Fadan Kagoma-Kwoi Road and started shooting sporadically.
In the process, a vehicle was hit by a bullet while the PFN chairman, his wife, and the other victim were taken away from the camp.
Aruwan noted that security operatives promptly arrived at the location and pursued the kidnappers who were, however, able to escape with the victims.
Reacting to the development, the PFN Chairman in Cross River State, Lawrence Ekwok, condemned the incident and called for the immediate release of Bako and his wife, as well as the other person abducted by the gunmen.
Ekwok who made the call in a statement described the incident which occurred on Christmas Day, generally recognised worldwide as a day of peace and joy, as not only callous but wicked and insensitive.
He decried a situation where preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ have become the target of kidnappers and called for urgent attention to address the situation.
The clergyman describing the security situation in the country as terrible and appealed to the security agencies to ensure the immediate release of the apostle.
