By Tina Amanda
Pastor Kingsley Anosike of Light Intercessors Church, located on Chimezie Street, Ebelu axis of Oyigbo Local Government Area, Rivers State, has regained freedom alongside three other ministers. The victims which included ministers attached to a guest bishop, were kidnapped but released on Wednesday, 7 August, 2024.
A church member, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed the release to our Correspondent. The source did not disclose whether a ransom was paid for their release.
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According to a report, gunmen dressed in military camouflage suspected to be herders at about 3:am last week Friday, 2 August 2024, invaded the Light Intercessors church branch at Oyigbo during a midnight program and shot sporadically for at least 20 minutes uninterrupted.
The gunmen were said to have targeted Bishop Blessed Moses Uzodinma, the presiding Pastor of Endtime Fire Intercessory Ministries who was the guest Minister in the church.
The source disclosed that the gunmen shot directly at Bishop Uzodinma, who was preaching at the church altar at the time of their arrival but the Bishop was unhurt and ‘vanished’ to the astonishment of the gunmen.
Angry with the development, the gunmen kidnapped the host Pastor, Kingsley Anosike of the Light Intercessors church branch, and three Ministers in the entourage of Bishop Uzodinma who was their main target.
We further learned that one of the church workers of Endtime Fire Intercessory Ministries who was caught by a bullet in his leg was rushed to the hospital after the arrival of the Police.
The source also revealed that the suspected herder established contact with the church hours after whisking the Pastor and three ministers away, demanding one hundred million (100) naira ransom.
We gathered that as of Monday evening, 5 August 2024, the gunmen reduced the ransom to 20 million naira, but it is not clear if the ransom was paid or not before the clergymen were released by their abductors.
The Spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe Koko, was yet to respond to an inquiry on the incident by our Correspondent at press time.
