By Uzair Adam
Suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents have abducted the wife of a pastor and her three children along the Maiduguri–Damasak road in Borno State.
The incident occurred around noon on Saturday near Kareto village in Mobbar Local Government Area, according to community sources.
The victims were reportedly travelling to Damasak, where Pastor Moses Guguma serves as the resident pastor of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), when the commercial vehicle conveying them was intercepted by the armed men.
A community source, who requested anonymity, said the attackers ordered the pastor’s wife and her three children to step out of the vehicle before allowing the remaining passengers to continue their journey.
“The terrorists intercepted the commercial vehicle near Kareto village and asked the pastor’s wife and her three children to disembark.
“They allowed the other passengers to continue before disappearing into the bush with the family,” the source said.
The source added that the pastor’s wife had only recently been discharged from a hospital in Maiduguri and was still recuperating at the time of the abduction.
Another family source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the victims were deliberately targeted because of their Christian faith.
“We are currently holding special prayers, asking God to ensure the safe return of the victims,” the source said.
Damasak, the headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area in northern Borno, lies about 156 kilometres from Maiduguri and has experienced repeated attacks by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters over the years.
As of the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of the victims remained unknown.
Security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the incident, while the abductors had made no known contact or ransom demand.
