The Gombe State Police Command has confirmed the gruesome killing of Reverend Bala Galadima, the Pastor in charge of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Lubo, in Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State.
The clergyman was murdered in the early hours of Sunday by suspected bandits yet to be identified.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Buhari Abdullahi, confirmed the incident via a telephone conversation, stating that the police were awaiting a report from the Kwadom Division before issuing an official statement. He added that the State Commissioner of Police, Bello Yahaya, had visited the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) in Gombe following the attack.
As of the time of filing this report, the police had yet to release further details regarding the incident.
Residents of Lubo town have been gripped by fear in the wake of the pastor’s killing. Worshippers at his congregation were left devastated, with Sunday’s service marked by messages of condolence, comfort, and encouragement.
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An eyewitness who entered the pastor’s home with other youths after the attack told our correspondent that the armed assailants, about eight in number, stormed the town around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday. Dressed in black and wielding AK-47 rifles, they fired shots into the air, causing panic among residents.
The gunmen reportedly went to the ECWA Church, where they were spotted by a young boy who ran home to alert his family. They then proceeded to the Puma family’s compound, ransacking homes and carting away N300,000 at gunpoint from Musa Puma’s wife. According to the witness, the bandits abducted a young child and threatened to kill them unless the woman handed over the money.
After looting the compound, the attackers demanded to know the whereabouts of the pastor’s house, which was nearby. They broke in through a window and went straight to his bedroom, shooting him in the upper back before fleeing.
Community youths later rushed Reverend Bala to the town’s health center, but one of the rescuers, who held him closely, suspected he had already passed away, as he could not detect a heartbeat. He was subsequently taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital, where his body was deposited in the mortuary.
Police officers arrived at the scene around 3:00 a.m. and recovered ten AK-47 bullet shells from the pastor’s house, which was stained with blood.
The authorities have yet to make any arrests, but investigations are ongoing.
