Dunamis Pastor, Moses Wada Shot Dead as Kidnappers Abduct Church Members

“Pastor Moses Wada of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Anyigba, has been shot dead by kidnappers in Kogi State, while several church members were abducted. Read the full details, eyewitness accounts, and reactions from family and friends.”

Suspected kidnappers have killed a pastor, Moses Wada, and abducted several members of his church in Kogi State.

Wada, an accountant with the Kogi State Agricultural Development Project (ADP) and an assistant pastor at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Anyigba, was shot dead on December 7, 2025, while returning from Enugu State.

According to a member of the church, Justice Friday, the deceased had travelled to Nsukka days earlier with the presiding pastor, the pastor’s wife, and two female relatives for a church programme.

On their way back to Anyigba, their vehicle ran into an armed kidnapping gang who immediately opened fire. Pastor Wada, who had just defended his Master’s thesis in Accounting at Kogi State University, Anyigba, died on the spot while the senior pastor and two others were taken away by the gunmen.

Justice described the late Wada as “a humble man, a loving husband, and a dedicated father.”
He wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday, December 9:

“Kogi East Socio-Political and Economic Forum will miss your contributions, support, and passion for good governance. Our consolation is that God will reward you with eternal life. May your soul find contentment in the achievements of your life and rejoice in the embrace of your Creator. Amen.”

Friends, colleagues, neighbours and family members have continued to mourn the deceased on social media.

His neighbour, Omale Theophilius Ocholi, described the killing as evidence of a moral collapse and human tragedy. He wrote:

“Nigeria today feels like a long, unending night soaked in fear, grief and helpless tears. Banditry, kidnapping and terrorism have become recurring decimals in our national equation, reducing human worth to nothing.”

Ocholi expressed concern that even the Kogi State Governor recently lamented the relocation of bandit and terrorist leaders into the state, a situation he said has worsened insecurity.

He added:

“Pastor Moses Wada was a man of faith and hard work… a husband, a father, a citizen who believed in family, community and God. Yet the land that should have welcomed him home received his blood instead.”

Ocholi also revealed that while the presiding pastor’s wife was released—possibly to initiate negotiations—the senior pastor and his brother-in-law remain in captivity.

He questioned the country’s capacity to protect its citizens:

“If the state can no longer guarantee life, what options remain for the ordinary Nigerian whose only crime is travelling home? Who now bears responsibility for the welfare of Pastor Wada’s wife and children?”

He described the incident not just as a political failure, but a “moral collapse and national tragedy,” adding that the death of Pastor Wada should serve as a wake-up call to the government to restore safety and dignity across the country.

“The death of Pastor Moses Wada is not just one family’s loss; it is a mirror held up to the bleeding soul of Nigeria,” he wrote.

Below are screenshots of condolence messages from the friends and lovers of late Pastor Moses Wada: