From JOHN FWAH, Kaduna
Armed bandits have killed a clergyman, Reverend Yahaya Kambasiya, at Farin Dutse community in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, in the early hours of Tuesday, October 28, 2025, while over 20 persons were abducted.
The authority of the HEKAN Church, known as the United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN), announced with deep regret the killing of the clergyman.
According to a statement made available to journalists in Kaduna by the HEKAN President, Reverend Amos Kiri, who condemned the attack, the terrorists invaded the community and unleashed mayhem on innocent and unarmed citizens, leading to the killing of Reverend Kambasiya.
Reverend Kiri revealed that four other members of HEKAN Church, Kakude Local Church Branch, were earlier kidnapped on October 19, 2025, and were still being held captive.
He said members of the HEKAN Church, especially in the Kauru Local Government axis, had been suffering repeated attacks by armed men suspected to be bandits or cattle rustlers.
“With a deep heart, on behalf of HEKAN Headquarters, I wish to inform the world of a tragic incident that occurred in Farin Dutse, a community in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where bandits attacked our pastor and other persons in the area,” he said.
According to Reverend Kiri, citing a report from Reverend Dauda Gambo, the Chairman of HEKAN Kauru District Church Council, heavily armed bandits and cattle rustlers attacked the community in the early hours of the morning and perpetrated evil on innocent residents.
“The attack resulted in the death of Reverend Yahaya Kambasiya and the kidnapping of over 20 people, among them HEKAN members,” Kiri added.
He explained that the bandits invaded the community and began shooting sporadically, whisking away those they captured.
Recounting the tragic death, Kiri said, “The late Reverend Kambasiya and a few others had to hide in a farm till the end of the gunshots, which lasted for a while. Immediately the bandits stopped shooting, Reverend Kambasiya thought they had gone, so he came out of his hiding place to check, only to be shot at the back. The bullet penetrated through his chest, and he died immediately.”
The HEKAN President added that the clergyman’s body had been deposited in a morgue, awaiting his family’s approval for burial.
He appealed to security agencies and all relevant authorities to go after the bandits and rescue those kidnapped, noting that the victims’ families were going through severe emotional distress.
The Church also prayed to God to intervene in the affairs of Nigeria, particularly the worsening security challenges which had been claiming lives and properties and instilling fear in the minds of many, including farmers who could no longer access their farms due to fear of being kidnapped or killed.
“HEKAN, as a church, requests your prayers for the family, the church, and the community during this trying moment,” Reverend Kiri urged.
It would be recalled that HEKAN Church in the same area was attacked by bandits on December 4, 2024, leading to the abduction of fifty persons, including its pastor, Reverend Francis Lawal.
Sadly, one of the kidnapped victims died in captivity, while several others returned with various degrees of injury.
The statement further revealed that on December 1, 2024, one Bitrus Alma, his sister and two others were kidnapped in Farin Dutse, and on January 4, 2024, Reverend Francis Lawal and fifty others were again abducted.
Though one of the victims died in the hands of his captors, others were released after three months and returned home with various degrees of injury.
HEKAN confirmed that it had informed the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Northern States, CAN Kaduna State, the Divisional Police Station in Kauru and other relevant organisations of the incidents.