Police Caution Churches on Sharing Personal Stories After Kidnap Attempt

The police have warned churchgoers against talking about their personal success stories during testimonies. This comes after a failed kidnap attempt on a female cleric in Abuja.

The warning followed the arrest of four church members who allegedly planned to kidnap Prophetess Elizabeth. She was targeted after sharing a testimony about her achievements.

Adamu Muazu, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Intelligence Response Team, gave the warning on Thursday. He spoke while presenting the suspects and mentioned that the attack was meant to happen after an evening service.

Muazu urged church leaders, especially those in quiet areas, to improve security and keep their members safe during evening services. He warned worshippers not to think that everyone in the church has good intentions.

“You can’t go to a church located on outskirts and you go to evening prayers and closing in the evening, coming down to your home after making testimony of what you have achieved in life, you know?” he said.

He continued, “It doesn’t conform with common sense and rationality in the midst of a gathering of people watching you, thinking that they are all men of God. No, everybody has his own motive of going to the church.”

The police officer urged church leaders to look into security risks around their buildings. They should also advise members on safety measures, especially when services finish late.

“If church has to be located on outskirts, I believe the runners of those institutions must equally think of the security of their members and must advise them adequately,” he said.

Muazu emphasized that churches having evening services should focus on the safety of routes to their locations, as well as the entrances and exits.

“If you must hold evening services, that has to be guided with a lot of security observation of the routes in and out, exits of those churches in and out,” he added.

He was worried that some suspects linked to the plot had close ties to the intended victim and the church’s leadership.

“Surprisingly, this happened to be her driver, who worked with her. And the second suspect is a bodyguard to the head church pastor. They are all members of the same church,” Muazu said.

The police issued this warning due to fears that information shared during church services could be misused by people with bad intentions, especially when worshippers return home after evening gatherings.