ECWA pastor killed over delayed ransom payment in Kaduna


Reverend Dauda Bature of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, in Nariya under Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has been killed by his abductors.

The cleric had been kidnapped while working on his farm within the same area on November 8.

According to a source, who is a member of the church, the bandits demanded N10 million.

After much negotiation with the wife of the abducted pastor, they requested that she should bring the money to them.

“Upon reaching there, the bandits collected the money, and withhold the wife, but was released after a few days.

“The bandits, this time changed their mode of communication and began to reach out to his wife through another person. It was the person that broke the sad news,” he said.

He said the bandits called and said they have killed him, for not paying the money at a scheduled date.

“When some money was raised, they asked the wife to bring the money which she took to them on November 18. They collected the money and kidnapped her.

“They kept her until December 6 and released her to go and look for more money. From that time, they were not talking to the wife again but another person,” he added.

Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna, Reverend Joseph Hayab, who confirmed the incident, lamented that the bandits are now “cruel and brutal” to their victims.

He called on the government to increase efforts to put frequent attacks on people to check.

Rev. John Hayab said, “On Thursday, they just called to tell the man that they had killed the pastor since they could not bring more money.

“The leadership of ECWA has been finding it difficult to break the information to the wife until yesterday (Friday) which was why people are just getting to know about it.”