By Ayomide Otitoju
Gunmen have abducted nine worshippers from Saint John’s Catholic Church in Ojije, Utonkon District, Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident was confirmed on Monday by Emmanuel Udah, a former councillor representing Ukwuenyo Ward in the Ado local government legislative council. In a telephone interview with Channels Television, Udah described the attack as “a targeted and planned crime against the Church, when innocent worshippers were at the most sacred ground… praying, vulnerable and unarmed.”
Udah said the incident has left residents traumatised, with many no longer feeling safe in their communities. He called on authorities to strengthen security and address the rising attacks across Benue, lamenting what he described as a growing sense of abandonment by government at all levels.
“The people of Utonkon are living in fear. Families are broken, children are traumatised, farmers, traders, worshippers are all trapped as no one feels safe anymore,” Udah said, adding that the abduction reflects a broader pattern of insecurity in rural Benue communities.
He urged the Church, civil society organisations, human-rights groups, and the international community to intervene, stressing the need for protection, justice, and global attention to the plight of Utonkon residents.
Confirming the abduction, Udeme Edet, spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, said tactical units, in coordination with local vigilantes, have been deployed to track down the perpetrators and rescue the victims. State Commissioner of Police Ifeanyi Emenari is overseeing efforts to apprehend those responsible for the attack.
