We No Longer Sl£ep,’ Enugu Women Cry Out After Catholic Church K!dnapping
‘We No Longer Sleep,’ Enugu Women Cry Out After Catholic Church Kidnapping
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The attack, which saw worshippers abducted right from the sanctuary, has sparked widespread outrage and driven distraught local women into the streets to demand immediate government action.
Tension and an uneasy calm continue to hover over the Inoyi, Affa community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State following a daring Sunday morning invasion of St. Joseph Catholic Church by armed kidnappers.
The attack, which saw worshippers abducted right from the sanctuary, has sparked widespread outrage and driven distraught local women into the streets to demand immediate government action.
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The quiet, agrarian community was thrown into pandemonium on Sunday, August 2, 2026, when heavily armed men stormed the church during service, abducting a seminarian and other congregants.
The incident prompted an immediate response from local women who, defying heavy downpours, marched through the streets weeping and calling on state authorities to end the rising tide of insecurity in the axis.
Defying the torrential rain, dozens of distraught mothers gathered to voice their despair, emphasizing that places of worship, traditionally viewed as safe havens, have now become targets for criminal gangs operating with impunity.
Visual footage captured during the demonstration highlights the sheer desperation gripping the community. Clad in dark traditional attire, a crowd of mothers stood gathered under umbrellas amid a steady downpour.
In the video seen by SaharaReporters on Monday, the leading spokesperson was seen wailing openly in the rain.
Speaking on behalf of the protesting mothers, a spokesperson issued a frantic appeal to Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, the Chairman of Udi Local Government Area, Hyginus Agu, and the Senator representing Enugu West, Osita Ngwu:
“Chairman of Udi LGA, Hyginus Agu, come and help us, because there’s no other place we can run to. Our children have been kidnapped and we no longer sleep at night because of kidnappers. Help us because we don’t have any other place to run to,” the spokesperson cried out.
Highlighting the agony of the affected families, she added: “Senator Osita Ngwu representing Enugu West, come and help us. Insecurity is killing us here. Our children are no longer going out as they used to. Look at now, while on holiday, they came and kidnapped them inside the church. Two of our members were taken into captivity.”
She urged the state leadership to act swiftly to ensure the safe return of their loved ones.
“As you can see, we are protesting under the rain. Help us because these victims were born by women. We are begging the government of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, come and help us, we are being kidnapped,” she said.
“We went to church today only to find ourselves in this condition. Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, we are calling on you and members of the legislature to come and help us.”
Addressing the incident in an official press statement released late Sunday, the Enugu State Police Command confirmed the abduction of three persons at the church precinct but disclosed that joint security operatives had already rescued one of the victims unhurt.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, a combined force of police operatives, Forest Guards, and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group gave the fleeing assailants a hot chase, forcing them to abandon one captive while escaping into the forest with the remaining two.
The Command added that technical and intelligence assets from the State Intelligence Department (SID) and the Enugu State Command-and-Control Centre had been fully activated to track down the kidnappers.
The police urged residents of Affa community to remain calm and assist security forces with actionable information through its dedicated emergency distress lines.
The church attack adds to a troubling pattern of security challenges across rural communities in Enugu State, where agrarian populations in Udi, Ezeagu, Nsukka, and Isi-Uzo local government areas have faced recurring threats from targeted kidnappings and highway ambushes.
