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Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The Catholic priest of St. Anthony’s Parish, Angware community in the Jos East Local Government Area of Plateau State, Rev. James Kantoma, has been kidnapped by gunmen.
Kantoma, who is also the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Jos East, was abducted at his residence in the community on Monday.
The state Chairman of CAN, Rev. Polycarp Lubo, confirmed the abduction, describing the incident as unfortunate.
Lubo said: “Since the gunmen took the Reverend Father away in the morning, we have not heard anything either from him or the abductors up till this afternoon. This is so sad. We are praying that no harm will befall him wherever he is now.”
A resident of the community, Paul Aware, also confirmed the abduction, saying: “When the gunmen arrived the community in the early hours of the morning, they moved straight to the house of the Reverend Father.
“Some youths in the area, who were alerted, tried to stop and even gave them a hot chase into the bush but the assailants started shooting everywhere and eventually succeeded in taking the Reverend Father away.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the State Command, Alfred Alabo, said that the Command was aware of the incident and had deployed officers and men from the anti-kidnapping unit in the community.
Alabo said: “Our men are already working to ensure that the Reverend Father regains his freedom and apprehend those behind the abduction.”
He called for calm, saying the police are on top of the situation.