Nigeria: Pastor Shot, Church Members Kidnapped

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ABUJA (Worthy News) – A Nigerian pastor was recovering from his injuries Wednesday after gunmen shot him and severed his fingers while abducting six worshipers from a Pentecostal church in Nigeria’s southern Delta state, his wife and other sources said.

Police Public Relations Officer of the State Command Bright Edafe confirmed the Saturday evening attack at Elyon Paradise Ministry Church in the town of Asagba Ogwashi. The perpetrators have not been identified.

The church’s pastor, Apostle Divine Omodia, was hospitalized and receiving treatment, according to Nigerian sources. Those missing from the church have been named as Helen Onwuamaeze, Ariyo Emmanuel, Chike Okolo, Blessing Waye and two security guards.

“I was lying down with my baby in the church hall while some men were outside with my husband when suddenly we heard gunshots,” the pastor’s wife, Faith Omodia, recalled in published remarks.

“We saw bullets in the church, so they were shooting inside the auditorium. One of them saw me where I was hiding and shot at me, but it did not penetrate; I just saw fire.”

The wife said that the gunman shot her husband, with the bullet severing two of his fingers. Others said they “cut off” his fingers. “The gunmen came into the church and forced everyone in the church building out. Some of the men who were outside discussing with my husband had already escaped,” she was quoted as saying by Nigerian media.

“The women inside were all brought out of the church building and made to lie down outside. They then left with some members and ordered the rest of us to go back into the church building.”

CONCERNS REMAIN

Christians said they remain concerned as the kidnappers have not called to demand a ransom for the release of the abducted victims since the incident occurred.

One of the church pastors, Steve Victor Onuchukwu, said after the attack, there was “serious concern” for the fate of their pastor as a medical team battled to keep him alive.

It was the latest in numerous attacks in Nigeria, described as one of the most violent nations for Christians. Thousands have been killed in attacks linked to several Islamist groups or their affiliates and Muslim crime gangs, according to a Worthy News assessment.

The nation ranks 7th on the annual World Watch List of 50 countries, where advocacy group Open Doors says Christians face the most persecution for their faith.

Some 3,100 Christians were killed, and at least 2,830 Christians were kidnapped in Nigeria in 2024, far more than in other countries in the same year, according to the World Watch List.

“While Christians used to be vulnerable only in the Muslim-majority northern states, this violence continues to spread into the Middle Belt and even further south,” Open Doors noted. “The attacks are shockingly brutal. Many believers are killed, particularly men, while women are often kidnapped and targeted for sexual violence. More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world.”

The militants also destroy homes, churches, and livelihoods, Christians told Worthy News over the years. More than 16.2 million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, including high numbers from Nigeria, have been driven from their homes by violence and conflict, according to official estimates. Millions now live in displacement camps.

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