Suspected bandits have abducted Reverend Father Mikah Suleiman, the parish priest of St. Raymond Catholic Church in Damba, Gusau.
The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the incident, stating that the priest was kidnapped around 3 am on Saturday from his residence in the Damba area.
He mentioned that the incident was not immediately reported to the police. Nevertheless, the command has deployed a tactical squad to track down the kidnappers and ensure the priest’s safe return.
Abubakar said, “Yes, the incident happened in the early hours of today. The Reverend Father was kidnapped at his residence. We were not informed when the incident happened, but I gathered that the man lives alone, not in the church.
“We have deployed our tactical squad to go after the kidnappers with the aim of rescuing the victim unhurt.”
In a statement, the acting Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Very Reverend Father Nuhu Iliya, called on the Christian community to pray for the priest’s prompt and safe release.
The statement reads, “With sadness in our hearts, we write to inform the general public of the kidnapping of one of our priests, Revd. Fr. Mikah Suleiman.
This sad event occurred in the early hours of today, Saturday, 22nd June 2024, in the Father’s rectory. Fr Mikah is the Parish Priest of St. Raymond Catholic Church, Damba, Gusau, Zamfara State.
“We invite all Christ’s faithful and all men and women of goodwill to earnestly pray for his quick and safe release.
“We equally commend him to the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, for his speedy release from the hands of his abductors.”