A pastor with the Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel in Calabar, Cross River State, Seyi Adekunle, was on Saturday evening abducted by gunmen who stormed the church while the congregation was having a prayer session in preparation for Sunday services.
Report by Vanguard says gunmen numbering five invaded the church at about 7.50 pm when the pastors were praying in the main auditorium and shot sporadically into the air before grabbing the pastor and bundling him into their car and drove off.
“Normally on Saturdays, we have a number of activities but the pastors prayer session comes last. It was while the session was in progress that the boys came in, shot into the air and took our pastor away,” a source was quoted as saying.
Adekunle is the head pastor of Province Two of the Church located along IBB Way, opposite the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, and has been in charge of the church since 2014.
“He came here in 2014 and has been doing a lot of work through the construction of a massive complex for the church auditorium and office accommodation which might have given the kidnappers the impression that he has money to give them as ransom,” the source continued.
Spokesman of the Cross River State Police Command, Hogan Bassey, said the kidnappers were yet to make any demands as at Sunday afternoon “but we are closing on them and very soon I shall inform you on how far we have gone”.
The Church, headed by Bishop David Oyedepo, is yet to make any official statement about the abduction.
