11 Christian worshippers have now reunited with their families after they were released by a group of bandits who had kidnapped them from a church, last Sunday, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Reverend John Hayab, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria or CAN in Kaduna, had earlier raised the alarm over the abduction of the 40 worshippers in the state.
Hayab said out of the 40 worshippers abducted, 15 managed to escape, leaving 25 in the captivity of the bandits.
“The number of those kidnapped from the church has reduced to 14 after the gunmen set free 11 out of the 25 they took away. They abandoned or released those they found difficult to manage due to health challenges, fatigue or age,” he said.
According to Hayab, one of the 11 released hostages included a woman who was incredibly fatigued, causing the abductors to assume she was deceased and leave her and her infant child behind. Fortunately, the woman regained consciousness, discovered her child, and made her way back home.
“To them, it is not the number of the hostages they take that matters because they know even if they take one person they will receive a ransom in exchange,” he added. The CAN chairman also stated that they were waiting for the abductors to make their demands.