Gunmen Abduct COCIN Pastor In Plateau

Gunmen suspected to be bandits on Sunday abducted a cleric with the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) Reverend Bung Fon Dong and a younger brother to the chief justice of Plateau State, Mr James Mann in Ganawuri district of Riyom local government area of Plateau State.

A reliable source from the community said the gunmen in their large numbers invaded the community at about 8:30 pm on Sunday with sophisticated weapons and shot sporadically into the air.

It was gathered that the gunmen forced themselves into the official residence of the cleric and abducted him at gunpoint while his wife who was attempting to rescue him from the kidnappers was shot on the leg.

Reverend Dong was immediately taken away on a motorcycle while the injured wife was later taken to the nearby health centre by neighbours who rushed to the scene after the gunmen had escaped.

It was also gathered that another set of gunmen equally invaded the house of Mr James Mann, the principal of Government Secondary School Bum in the same Ganawuri community, who was a younger brother of the Chief Justice of Plateau State Mr Justice David Mann.

He was however lucky as a combined team of vigilantes and hunters engaged the gunmen and rescued him from the kidnappers.

The president, Atten Youths, Mr Song Mare who confirmed the incident said the community for quite some time had been under the siege of kidnappers adding that no fewer than four persons were abducted in recent times.

Meanwhile, the state police public relations officer DSP Alfred Alabo who also confirmed the incident said men of the command are on the trail of the abductors.