Cleric Murdered, Dozens of Worshippers Abducted as Bandits Attack HEKAN Church

Residents of Kaduna State were thrown into panic on Thursday following a deadly night raid by armed bandits on a Local congregation of the Evangelical Church Winning All (HEKAN), which left a clergyman dead and over 20 worshippers abducted.

The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday at the church located in Kauru Local Government Area, saw the heavily armed assailants invade the community, shooting sporadically and causing widespread fear.

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen stormed the Area while a midweek service was ongoing, targeting the church’s premises and nearby homes.

According to community sources, the deceased cleric, whose name was given as Reverend Joshua Yakubu, was shot dead after attempting to shield members of his congregation from the attackers.

The bandits were said to have whisked away more than 20 church members, including women and youths, into the surrounding forest.

A resident, who narrowly escaped, described the scene as horrifying. “They came in large numbers on motorcycles, surrounded the church, and started shooting.

Reverend Yakubu tried to calm everyone, but they shot him at close range. It was chaos,” the source recounted.

Confirming the incident, the leadership of the HEKAN denomination expressed shock and grief over the killing of the cleric and the abduction of its members.

The Church called on the Government and Security Agencies to intensify efforts toward rescuing the victims and ending the persistent attacks on Christian communities in Southern Kaduna.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Police Command said it had launched a manhunt for the perpetrators and deployed a tactical team to the Area to ensure the safe return of the abducted worshippers.

Southern Kaduna has suffered repeated assaults by bandits in recent months, with scores of residents killed or kidnapped despite ongoing Military operations in the region.