LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Kidnappers of popular preacher and motivational speaker, Reverend Mike Ochigbo along with his associate, Pastor John Moses in Adamawa State, have reportedly demanded for a ransom of N40Million.
Rev. Ochigbo, who is the General Overseer of Freedom Power Chapel, was forcibly taken from his residence in Nyibango neighborhood in Yola, the State capital on 23 May.
A resident of the area, who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity, said that armed men stormed Ochigbo’s residence around midnight and whisked him away.
“Their gunfire which lasted for about an hour or one and a half hours rattled the neighbourhood; so early this morning, we were told the pastor had been abducted.
“He helps me every morning, especially with the transportation of my kids to school. This morning, I told my kid that ‘Daddy’ has been kidnapped,” he said.
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A female member of the pastor’s church, Freedom Power Chapel in Yola, the state capital, told SaharaReporters that the bandits had “called and demanded N40 million ransom this afternoon (Wednesday).”
On the N40 million ransom demand, the Church member who pleaded anonymity said the family was negotiating his release.
“It is really sad that ‘daddy’ was picked by these people. We’re praying and hoping they’ll release him to us unhurt,” she added.
While confirming the incidents, the spokesperson for the police in the state, SP Suleiman Nguroje, said operatives had been deployed to rescue those abducted.
“The Adamawa state Commissioner of Police, CP Afolabi Babatola, has deployed operatives of the Command drawn from the Special Rapid Response Team (SRRT), Crack Squad and other Tactical Squads to carry out a tactical and intelligence-driven 24/7 operation on Criminal Hideouts and Black Spots to rescue the kidnapped victims – one Rev. Mike Ochigbo and Pastor John Moses, as well as arrest the suspects and their sponsors who move around disrupting the peace in the State,” Nguroje said.
The State Police command has appealed for calm and assured that the two men would be rescued, according to its spokesperson, SP Suleiman Nguroje.
