A tragic incident occurred in a community near the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, when armed attackers, commonly referred to as bandits, killed the son of a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) pastor and abducted his wife.
The attack took place in Mararaba, a town in Nasarawa State close to Abuja.
According to Daily Trust, the pastor, Austin Ifeji, was targeted in the early hours of Monday at his residence in Gwagwalade, Mararaba. Reports indicate that Pastor Ifeji sustained machete wounds but managed to escape, prompting the attackers to take his wife.
During the attack, the pastor’s son attempted to protect his mother but was shot by the assailants, who also inflicted additional machete wounds on him in the presence of his siblings.
After killing the young man, the attackers fled with the pastor’s wife and later demanded a ransom of ₦30 million for her release. It remains unclear whether she had been freed at the time of reporting.
Efforts to save the pastor’s son at the hospital were unsuccessful.
A source revealed, “He was the only son among his parents’ five children. He couldn’t bear to see his mother being mistreated, so he confronted the attackers, and they shot him.”
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Nasarawa State Police Command, SP Rahman Nansel, stated that the police were not aware of the incident.