•Pastor Adekunle
Kidnappers of the Senior Resident Pastor of the Living Faith Church, a.k.a. Winners Chapel situated along IBB Way, opposite the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, Cross River State, Mr. Seyi Adekunle, have demanded a ransom of N60 million for his release.
The kidnappers reportedly contacted the church and demanded for the N60 million.
Adekunle was on Saturday kidnapped by five unidentified gunmen who stormed the church premises at about 7:30pm during prayers.
The Cross River State chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, had on Monday warned that those who abducted Adekunle would incur the wrath of God if they failed to release him.
The warning came through a statement issued by the state Chairman of PFN, Pastor Lawrence Ekwok, and the Secretary, Apostle Frank Umo.
The statement said: “The wrath of God is upon you for that act, this is more so as the pastor was kidnapped at the time he and others were praying and seeking the face of God for the good of the people of the state and country at large.” Insisting that Pastor Adekunle be released immediately and unconditionally.
PFN urged security agencies to intensify efforts at securing the release and safe return of Pastor Adekunle.
The Cross River State Police Command has already launched a manhunt for the five gunmen who allegedly abducted Pastor Adekunle.
As stated by the police, the pastor was abducted inside the church at about 7.30 p.m. during a prayer session. The gunmen, it was gathered, fired into the air to scare everybody around before entering the church.
The pastor was allegedly pushed into the car brought by the men and taken to an unknown destination.
A member of the church who declined to identify himself for fear of police harassment disclosed that the pastor was holding a prayer sesson with members of the congregation when the gunmen burst in and started demanding for money.
When told that there was no money in the church, the suspects got angry and took the pastor away.
As stated by a police source, the suspects got information that the pastor was keeping a huge amount of money meant for the construction of the church and decided to abduct him to get the money as ransom for his release.