Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — On Sunday, Sept. 21, unknown gunmen abducted a pastor’s wife and a female church member in Agyaragu, in the Obi local government area of Nasarawa state in Nigeria. 

Samuel Nasamu, pastor of Word of God Church Agyaragu, had just left the house to visit a sick member of the congregation when he received a call from his wife, Patience. 

“All I could hear was her voice of prayer,” Nasamu said. “She could not even tell me what was happening.” 

According to the pastor, there were signs that the gunmen tried to smash the door open with a hammer. When that failed, they started shooting sporadically, forcing his wife to open the door in fear. She and the church member were seized during their attempts to flee. 

By the time Nasamu returned home, his wife, the church member, and their abductees were gone. Only their 3-month-old baby was left behind. 

According to Afripost Newspaper, the kidnappers demanded ₦50m ($34,000) for their release. The pastor’s wife is reportedly struggling with her health while in captivity. During a call from the kidnappers, Patience can be heard crying in the background, “My baby … my baby. Who will help me out of this pain? Somebody, please, rescue me from this forest.” 

“Being away from her newborn has deepened her trauma, and the condition in which they are being kept is unbearable,” a family member told reporters. 

This is not the first incident of this kind of crime. Local kidnappings in Nasarawa state are continuing to escalate. 

A community member, who asked not to be named, said: “We live in fear every day. Kidnappings happen regularly here — even farmers are being targeted. Agyaragu is at the mercy of kidnappers. We are pleading with Governor Abdullahi Sule to take urgent action.” 

Story by Bella Agnello 

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