Suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists have abducted the wife of a pastor and her three children in Damasak, the headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.
The victims, whose identities have not been made public, were reportedly travelling to Damasak on Saturday when armed men intercepted their commercial vehicle near Kareto village and forced them to disembark.
A community source told journalists that the incident occurred around noon while the family was travelling from Maiduguri to Damasak.
According to the source, the woman is the wife of the pastor in charge of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Moses G. Guguma. She had recently been discharged from a hospital in Maiduguri after undergoing treatment for a prolonged illness before setting out on the journey.
“The terrorists stopped the commercial vehicle close to Kareto village and asked the pastor’s wife and her three children to come down, leaving other passengers and the driver,” the source said.
As of the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of the victims remained unknown.
A resident of the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, appealed for prayers and support for the family, alleging that the victims may have been targeted because of their religious identity.
Damasak, located in Borno North Senatorial District, is about 156 kilometres from Maiduguri and has experienced repeated attacks by insurgent groups in recent years.
Security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the incident at the time of filing this report.