A pastor and two members of his church were kidnapped this week by a group of armed men in Jos East County, Nigeria.
Religious leader Usman Umaru, from the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), was kidnapped by criminals inside his own home after a raid, a source who lives in the area told the portal Christian Post.
In addition to him, two other Christians were also taken, a man identified as Agwom Dauda and a woman identified only as Sarah.
Spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, Alfred Alabo, confirmed the abduction of three persons in the community and said officers were carrying out an operation to find the victims.
According to the Christian Post, similar attacks have occurred in the county in recent months. In July, five Christians were killed in raids on Zangam and Kayarda communities in Maigyemu district. Another Christian man, identified as Luka Izang, was kidnapped but released after his family paid a ransom.
In January, a community leader in the area, Isaac Wakili, was also abducted from his home.
The episode takes place amid an increase in kidnapping records in the country, which is among the first in the rankings. ranking of persecution because of faith.
Last Sunday (10), a terrorist group carried out an attack within a community in the state of Taraba, which resulted in the murder of a Christian couple, leaving some injured and six other people kidnapped.
In the same week, criminals set fire to an evangelical church in the city of Fadam Kamantan, southern Kaduna state, and murdered seminarian Na’Aman Stephen Danlami, aged 25, who burned to death at the scene.
In recent years, the African country has increased records of religious persecution against evangelical communities, with kidnapping being one of the main means of repressing the Christian faith.
The latest data collection on the disappearance of Christians in the world, produced by the NGO Portas Abertas, showed that the country registered 4,726 cases, between October 2021 and September 2022 alone.
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