Gunmen Invade Enugu Catholic Church, Abduct Seminarian, Worshippers
Armed men reportedly invaded St. Joseph Catholic Church, Inoyi, in Affa, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, on Sunday, abducting a seminarian and at least one worshipper during a church service.
The attack, which threw the community into panic, was first reported by social media influencer Sen Chijinkem Ugwuanyi in a Facebook post.
According to him, the gunmen stormed the church while Mass was in progress and initially took away a seminarian, a catechist and another worshipper.
Ugwuanyi said the kidnappers later released the catechist but fled with the seminarian and the other victim, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Following the incident, youths in the community reportedly launched a search through nearby bushes in an effort to rescue the victims.
However, the operation was said to be proceeding cautiously because the attackers were believed to be heavily armed.
The incident has left residents in fear as the search for the abducted victims continues, with renewed calls on security agencies to strengthen efforts to curb kidnapping and violent attacks in the area.
In a separate Facebook post, another user shared a video said to have been recorded at the scene, alleging that the victims were abducted during the church service and appealing to the Enugu State Government to take urgent steps to address the worsening security situation.
As of the time of filing this report, the Enugu State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the reported attack.
