Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Police in Borno State have confirmed the kidnap of a member of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) and a pastor in Borno early last month.
The corper identified as Abraham Amuta, a Batch B, Stream 1 corps member serving in Maiduguri and one Pastor Oyeleke of Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) were reportedly abducted by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in early April on their way to Chibok local government for evangelism and distribution of relief materials from the church to victims of insurgency in the area.
“I just heard about the kidnap that has occurred since April 9. It is unfortunate that nobody has officially reported the matter to the police: neither the NYSC nor the church but we have raised a team to investigate the matter to unravel what actually happened and how it occurred,” newly deployed Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Aliyu told our correspondent.
Amuta and Oyeleke were said to be part of a team raised by the Living Church in Maiduguri to deliver relief materials to victims of Boko Haram insurgency in Chibok local government. However, they too became victims of the insurgency as they were abducted by suspected Boko Haram.
The incident was not immediately known in Maiduguri until Amuta’s friends and colleagues took to the social media and tweeted about the abduction.
“Abraham Amuta is a corps member serving in Maiduguri. He was abducted by Boko Haram two weeks ago. He went for evangelism with a pastor from his church – Living Faith. He is an only son. Let’s not forget him in our prayers,” one Success Ezeanya tweeted weekend.
Our correspondent tried to put a call to the telephone number of the pastor but it was switched off.
Sources in Living Faith said the church leadership has informed its headquarters in Lagos about the incident but could not explain why the matter was not immediately reported to the police when it happened.