Gunmen have abducted nine worshippers of Saint John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, Utonkon District of Ado Local Government Area, Benue State.

The victims were reportedly whisked away on Sunday during a vigil in the church premises.

A former councillor representing Ukwuenyo Ward in the Ado local government legislative council, Emmanuel Udah, confirmed the incident on Monday.

In a telephone conversation with Channels Television, Udah described the abduction as “a targeted and planned crime against the Church, when innocent worshippers were at the most sacred ground, a place of worship, a place for peace, and refuge, only to be abducted, while praying, vulnerable and unarmed”.

He explained that people of the area were traumatised by the incident, adding that they no longer feel safe.

Udah, therefore, asked the authorities to beef up security and nip the continuous attacks in Benue State in the bud.

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He lamented what he described as the growing sense of abandonment by government at all levels, even after many such incidents had been reported across communities in Benue.

“The people of Utonkon are living in fear, families are broken, children are traumatised, farmers, traders, worshippers, are all trapped as no one feels safe anymore in our land.

“This incident is not isolated; it reflects a growing pattern of insecurity that rural communities in Benue State continue to endure in silence and neglect. We are raising our voices because silence will kill us all,” the former councillor stated.

While calling on the government to do all it can to rescue the Nine worshippers abducted from Saint John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, Udah urged the Church and international community to rise up in defence of the persecuted.

“Religious bodies, civil society organizations, human-rights groups, and the international community should speak out and stand with us.

“We are not asking for sympathy alone. We are asking for attention, protection, and justice. Let the world know that Utonkon matters,” he added.

Confirming the abduction, spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, said nine worshippers were abducted.

She noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, had deployed tactical units working with local vigilantes to track down the abductors and rescue the victims, noting that the police are on the trail of the perpetrators of the attack.