Abducted Baptist pastor, Numan regains freedom in Kaduna
The kidnapped Kaduna Baptist Church pastor, Reverend Elisha Numan, yesterday regained his freedom after spending two weeks in captivity.
Numan was immediately taken to a private hospital in Barnarwa and a diagnostic medical centre for treatment by officials of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), his family and other church leaders.
Gunmen had abducted Numan from his house on August 14 at about 2:00a.m. alongside his son, Emmanuel. However, the bandits later freed the son to go home and raise money for his father’s ransom.
Confirming the release of the pastor in a telephone interview, chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Joseph Hayab, called on the government and security agencies to do everything possible to address the increasing wave of kidnappings in Kaduna.
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“Rev. Elisha Numan was released on Saturday night after two weeks in captivity. He was released after a ransom was paid following series of negotiations with the bandits. We thank God for his mercies. We pray for God’s intervention in the calamity that seems to have befallen us as a nation.
“We will also continue to call on the government and the security agencies to do everything within their powers to stop the increasing spate of criminality across the country, especially the increasing wave of kidnappings in Kaduna,” Hayab said.
Family sources said the release of the cleric was after series of negotiations with the bandits, who had initially demanded N20 million. The source said Numan was released after the payment of an undisclosed amount of money.
Meanwhile, Numan who was at the CAN secretariat in Kaduna yesterday, to express his gratitude to the officials for their unrelenting struggle for his release, was taken to the hospital for treatment.
