Kidnappers Demand N100 Million Ransom for Abducted ECWA Pastor in Kaduna

Gunmen have demanded a ransom of N100 million for the release of Pastor Samson Ndah Ali, a 30-year-old cleric with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), who was abducted from his residence in Maraba Aboro, Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The pastor was kidnapped in the early hours of Monday when the armed men stormed his compound around 1 a.m. and whisked him away to an undisclosed location.

Confirming the incident, the church’s financial secretary, Mallam Yusuf Ambi, said he was with Pastor Ali the night before the abduction, only to receive a distress call early the next morning.

“I rushed to his compound where he stays alone, only to find the doors wide open. I checked all the rooms, but he was nowhere to be found,” Ambi recounted.

He added that the kidnappers later reached out to the church, demanding a ransom of N100 million for the cleric’s release, noting that negotiations were ongoing.

According to Ambi, Pastor Ali, who hails from the Danji community of Ungwan Mailafiya, had only been posted to the ECWA church less than two weeks before the incident occurred.

In response to the abduction, a joint rescue operation involving the Nigerian Army, the police, and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been launched to secure the pastor’s release.

When contacted, the spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Mansir Hassan, said the command was aware of the incident and would respond accordingly.