Pastor Killed After Ransom Paid in Nigeria’s Kwara State

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

PATIGI, NIGERIA (Worthy News) – Armed assailants in north-central Nigeria killed a local pastor after abducting him and collecting ransom payments from his rural community, highlighting a growing wave of kidnappings terrorizing Kwara State.

Rev. James Audu Issa, a pastor with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), was kidnapped on August 28 from Ekati village in the Patigi Local Government Area. His captors initially demanded ₦100 million (about $67,000), an impossible sum for the small farming village. After weeks of negotiations, local residents, church leaders, and family members managed to gather ₦5 million ($3,300).

The ransom was delivered, but the kidnappers demanded an additional ₦45 million ($30,000). Before further talks could occur, Rev. Issa was killed.

According to Nupeko TV, the murder shocked residents of Ekati and the wider Patigi Emirate, who had already depleted their scarce resources to secure the pastor’s release. Locals described his death as a devastating loss for both the community and the church.

The incident is part of a surge in violence and abductions across Kwara North, where both civilians and law enforcement have been targeted.

Just days before Issa’s death, a police officer named Ezra was kidnapped in the same area while returning from duty. Gunmen ambushed him and a colleague between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. The second officer escaped, but Ezra was taken to an undisclosed location. Witnesses said the attackers were heavily armed and fired indiscriminately during the assault.

The violence has spread beyond travelers. On September 30, two brothers were kidnapped while tending their cassava farm in Bokungi Zambufu, under the Lafiagi Emirate in Edu Local Government Area. Witnesses said gunmen stormed the farmland, firing into the air and scattering workers before abducting the brothers—one reportedly a former president of the National Association of Nupe Students.

Farmers across Edu and Patigi now fear going to their fields or traveling along main roads. Residents warn that continued insecurity threatens local food production, the region’s primary source of livelihood.

Security analysts note that north-central Nigeria’s rural areas have become hotspots for ransom kidnappings, where impoverished villagers are extorted with little chance of rescue or justice. Despite repeated attacks, authorities have yet to announce any arrests or significant operations in connection with Rev. Issa’s killing.

Community leaders continue to call for an increased security presence and more decisive government intervention to protect lives and livelihoods in Kwara State.

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