Gunmen storm Imo church, abduct woman leader

GUNMEN invaded the First Baptist Church, situated on Wetheral Road, in Owerri, the Imo State capital and abducted one of the women leaders and wife of the General Manager of the Owerri Zoological Garden, Biola Abeoye.

  According to our correspondent, one of the officials of the church, who does not want to be mentioned, said that the daredevil suspects operated with a Toyota vehicle.

  The official said the kidnappers waited till the church service came to an end before they struck.

  He said the suspects fired gunshots in the air, which pierced the walls of the church building, before they zoomed off with their victim.

  He said: “Some group of gun-wielding men operating in a Toyota vehicle came to our church premises and parked. At first, we thought that they were security men, so we didn’t bother. They waited till the church service dismissed before they struck.

  “They had somebody in their car who identified the woman before they forced her into their vehicle. They shot at our church building. It was so terrible. The woman is the wife of the General Manager of Imo Zoological Garden at Nekede. Her husband is out of the state. He travelled. We have reported the incident at the police station.”

  The state police spokesperson, Michael Abattam, had yet to respond to the incident.