His house was forced open and the two priests were found locked up on a room and rescued
The two religious leaders, who have been named as Reverend Fathers Matthew David Dusami and Abraham Samman, were abducted from their residence at a convent in Gweda Mallam, which is located in the Numan Local Government Area, on that day, February 22.
After tracing their whereabouts to the residence of Taledo Demiel, a faithful church worker who is suspected of being the mastermind behind the abduction, their ordeal took a drastic turn for the worst.
A residence that belonged to one of the altar workers of the Catholic Church was discovered on Saturday evening with the two priests of the Catholic Church who had been kidnapped in Adamawa State the previous week tied up inside.
A Roman Catholic priest is assisted by an altar servant who provides a variety of services to the priest when the priest is performing mass.
In a statement made by the command, SP Suleiman Nguroje, the spokesperson for the Adamawa State Police Command, confirmed the kidnapping.
“The Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, Dankombo Morris, has condemned vehemently an unprovoked kidnapping of Reverend father Mathew David Dusami of Yola Catholic Diocese and Reverend father Abraham Samman of Jalingo Diocese, at the early hours of today, February 22nd, 2025.
“The unfortunate incident occurred at the priests’ residence situated at Gweda Malam, in Numan Local Government Area of Adamawa State.”
One the operatives told journalists that Taledo Demiel, an altar servant, plotted the kidnapping of the two priests and wanted N10 million in ransom.
it was discovered that Demiel had gone to a location in order to retrieve the N10 million ransom, but he had abandoned it and fled after becoming suspicious that he may be caught.
“Upon suspecting that there were security operatives around, he abandoned the ransom and ran away leaving his motorcycle behind as evidence.
“Security operatives took the motorcycle and it was identified as the altar servant’s own. Thereafter his house was forced open and the two priests were found locked up on a room and rescued.”
Concerns have been raised over the safety of individuals who are serving alongside clerics and the trust that is placed in them as a result of the incident, which has caused shockwaves to spread throughout the various religious communities.
While the priests have succeeded in regaining their freedom, the security authorities have stepped up their attempts to capture the suspect who is evading capture as well as his collaborators.