Gunmen invade Enugu church, kidnap seminarian during Sunday Mass

Gunmen invaded St. Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi, in Affa, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State this morning and kidnapped a seminarian who had come to celebrate Mass, along with a catechist and another worshipper. The attackers reportedly released the catechist but took the seminarian and the other victim into captivity.

Social media influencer Sen Chijinkem Ugwuanyi disclosed the incident in a Facebook post, saying the whole village has been thrown into frenzy as local youths launch a search operation in nearby bushes. He added that the youths are exercising caution due to the alleged superior firepower of the kidnappers. Ugwuanyi wrote, "The whole village is thrown into frenzy as the search continues," while calling on the government to intensify efforts to tackle rising insecurity in the area.

As at the time of this report, the Enugu State Police Command had not issued any official statement. This is the second church-related abduction in the South East this year and it is becoming a disturbing pattern. How many more worshippers must be taken before the government treats this as an emergency?