GUNMEN on Monday reportedly attacked a Catholic seminary, Christ the King Major Seminary, Fayit-Fadan Kagoma, Kaduna State at about 7:26 p.m. and kidnapped three people, reports Premium Times, quoting a statement sent to it on Tuesday.
According the newspaper, the statement was signed by the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Emmanuel Okolo, saying that the affected seminarians were in ‘Theology four’ and they belong to the ‘Apostles of Divine Charity’ and the ‘Little sons of the Eucharist Congregation’ groups.
The gunmen were said to have invaded the Chapel of the seminary located in a district called Fadan Kagoma in Jema’a Local Government Area and initially went away with five seminarians. But they later released two of them.
The Premium Times reported that the Rector of the seminary, Rev Fr. Stephen Jonah, also confirmed the incident to it via phone saying that the freed seminarians said their abductors spoke the Hausa language ‘with Fulani accents.’
The statement did not include the names of the abducted seminarians but added that six others sustained major injuries from the attack.
Mr Okolo said soldiers from Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) later arrived and accompanied the injured seminarians to the Salem Hospital in Kafanchan for treatment.
During the attack, 10 officials including the rectors of the seminary and the institute, 132 seminarians, six non-seminarians, one female non-academic staff and one steward were inside the seminary, the statement said.
The diocese called for prayers for the release of the abducted seminarians and urged well-wishers to desist from taking the laws into their hands.
