Panic gripped residents of Ogwashi-Uku in the northern part of Delta State on Saturday following a bloody attack on a church, identified as Elyon Paradise Ministry, in the town.
One of the presiding apostles, identified as Divine Omodia, is currently undergoing medical treatment for severe gunshot wounds that he sustained in the attack.
Residents of the town, which is host to a polytechnic, told newsmen that the attack left members of the church and residents alike in panic mode.
“Nobody knows exactly what led to this attack, but this is the continuation of growing insecurity in Ogwashi-Uku and other towns in this area,” one panic-stricken resident told our reporter.
Police spokesperson in Delta Command, Mr Bright Edafe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, claimed that the matter had not been reported.
He said, “No report has been made at any police station regarding this attack.”
But the wife of the wounded Apostle, Pastor Faith Omodia, confirmed the incident.
She said the gunmen fired indiscriminately into the church auditorium, hitting her husband and some other victims before marching others away.
“I was lying down with my baby in the church hall when I heard gunshots. Suddenly, bullets started flying inside the auditorium,” she said.
She revealed that her husband was shot in the lap and lost two fingers in the attack.
The gunmen then rounded up the worshippers, forcing them outside before abducting six of them, including two security guards.
The victims were identified as Helen Onwuamaeze, Ariyo Emmanuel, Chike Okolo, and Blessing Waye, along with the unnamed guards.
Residents in an interview with Niger Daily News urged the police and other security operatives to take urgent steps to rescue those abducted.
