Suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists have kidnapped the wife of a pastor and her three children in Damasak, the headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.
The victims, whose names have not been made public, were said to be travelling to Damasak on Saturday when the attackers stopped their vehicle near Kareto village and ordered them out.
A community source told journalists the incident happened around noon. The source said the family was travelling from Maiduguri to Damasak.
According to the source, the woman is the wife of the pastor in charge of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Moses G. Guguma. She had just been discharged from a hospital in Maiduguri after a long illness before setting out on the trip.
“The terrorists stopped the commercial vehicle close to Kareto village and asked the pastor’s wife and her three children to come down, leaving other passengers and the driver,” the source said.
As of the time this report was filed, the victims’ whereabouts were still unknown.
Another resident, who asked not to be identified, called for prayers and support for the family. The resident also claimed the victims may have been singled out because of their religious identity.
Damasak, in Borno North Senatorial District, is about 156 kilometres by road from Maiduguri, the state capital. The town has suffered repeated attacks by insurgent groups over the years.
Security agencies had not released any official statement on the incident as of the time this report was filed.
