Mr Aniefiok Assian, a pastor of the Solid Rock Kingdom Church in Akwa Ibom State, shares with CHUKWUDI AKASIKE the pain of his 23-year-old son’s abduction and his hope that he will return to him hale and hearty

How did you get to know about your son’s abduction?

It was on December 3, 2025, that the kidnappers called us and told us that my son, Utibeabasi, had been kidnapped. They told us that we needed to pay a N30m ransom. So, we negotiated and agreed to pay N500,000. The ransom was paid into the account of one Uzo Onuoha Enterprise through a PoS.

What circumstances led to his abduction?

My son left home in the morning, saying he was going out to buy cloth to sew and wear to our church convention in 2025, which was held here in Uyo. He said that after buying the material from the market, he would go to the workers’ council, still in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. From that day till today, we have not seen him.

Which convention are you talking about?

It was our annual convention organised by the Solid Rock Kingdom Church.

How old is he?

He is 23 years old.

Did the kidnappers demand more money after you gave them the sum of N500,000?

No, they did not ask for more money after we agreed on the N500,000 ransom. After paying the ransom, they told me that I should pick up my son at the Abak Local Government Area in the evening. My wife and I went to a central point called Ekom Iman Junction, waited for their call, and from the day the ransom was paid till this time, those who kidnapped my son have not called again.

Which phone number did they use in reaching out to you? Did they use your son’s phone number or their phone number?

They used my son’s phone number throughout to reach out to us.

What is the Akwa Ibom State Police Command saying about the incident after you reported the matter to them?

First of all, I reported the matter to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit. After that, I went to the DSS. After the DSS, I went to SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics Unit). But in the proces’, none of them has been able to come up with anything concrete. When I call them, they always tell me that they are on the matter. Later, when we call them, they would not answer.

When I visit them, they behave as if they do not know me or have never seen me before, even when I have paid the money they demanded. When the delay became too much, a journalist told me to contact the state Police Public Relations Officer or the state Commissioner of Police. I was told the CP was looking for me, telling the journalist that he had never heard that my son was kidnapped.

That was how many months after the abduction of your son?

That was about four months after the incident. When I went to SWAT, they told me to write a petition so that they could take it to the state Commissioner of Police to sign and take action. So, I wrote the petition about the kidnapping of my son and took it to the CP. When he saw it, he said I should go back to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.

The Anti-Kidnapping Unit was trying because they were able to detect who received the N500,000 ransom sent to the kidnappers, but they could not find the PoS operator. While the Anti-Kidnapping Unit was trying its best to trace my son’s whereabouts, it did not come back with anything.

The journalist Interested in the matter went back to the Commissioner of Police to tell him what was happening; he said I should go back to SWAT. When I got to SWAT, I was told to pay for a new tracking exercise, which would cost me N100,000. Each analysis is N50,000.

I asked them why I should pay for a new tracking exercise when the same tracking had been done before. I told them that it was embarrassing and a way of taking things for granted, and I said I would not come back to them again.

Does that mean that you are not satisfied with the way the police were handling the matter?

I must commend the officer in the Anti-Kidnapping Unit. That man was so nice to me. However, in all this, nobody was able to bring out the call log; nobody was able to identify the boy who called my son out of the house.

Based on the tracking, there is a central man who called people, who in turn called my son, and people were calling him. If you see the tracking, you will know. It is a very easy tool to handle, very easy, but none of them used the tracking to do the real work.

So, I told the IPO that he should go for the call log, which would make the work easier for them. The young man who called my son was identified. Even the central man, through the tracking, should have been identified. The IPO promised to do so, but he has not been calling me.

Why do you think the police are not showing enough commitment to ensuring the rescue of your son?

When I went to the DSS, I paid for the tracking; I paid N50,000 for each of the phone numbers that were analysed. I went to SWAT and paid money to track Uzo Onuoha. That’s it.

How would you describe your son?

He is the kind of child that any father on earth would like to have as a son. Any man would like to father such a child. He is a good son. Above all, he is a choir leader and is so committed that he would sleep in the church on Saturday night in order to participate in the early prayers. I am a pastor, and I am proud of a child who is so concerned about the things of God.

How has the incident affected your family?

It is an incident that has sent shockwaves and fear into the minds of members of the family. My heart is broken, and I am wiping my tears because my son means a lot to the family. He is a final-year student in the university who worked hard to get to that level. So, I don’t know whether it is a conspiracy or whether someone does not want him to complete his final year in the university; that is exactly what I am still thinking, but I still trust the God whom we serve.

Did your son tell you about any disagreement with any student at the university before his disappearance?

No, he had a disagreement in the church with a few boys in the branch where he served as a choir leader.

What was the issue about?

The issue was about three young men in that group. In the church, they brought in a kind of emblem or logo indicating something associated with cultism. My son told them that they should remove the emblem from the church. It was during a session of the choir called the Rock Singers.

So, my son identified the emblem, on which they wrote, ‘Stay wicked’, and when he told them that they should not bring that kind of thing into the church, they told him that his father did not own the church and, as such, he had no right to stop them. They threatened that they would “block” him and beat him up on the road.

I took those involved to the police station, but the police said they were not involved in the crime and that they would not be able to handle it unless I wanted the boys punished based on what they said. But one thing I believe is that these boys may have directed my son to some other persons. The anti-kidnapping unit of the police said the boys’ phone numbers were not linked to the crime.

What course is your child studying at the university?

He is studying Theatre Arts.

What has been the response of the University of Uyo since the incident?

I met the dean of his faculty and the Head of Department. They visited the family when the incident occurred. They are aware of the matter.

What is your demand to the police on the matter?

To be very frank, I don’t think we have any security in Nigeria because there was a time they told me that the tracking machine was down. There was a time they told me that the phone number of the person they were trying to arrest was not reachable. They kept giving me one excuse or the other.

For me, I think there is no security for a person like me. Rather, it is for some other people. If I were the one who kidnapped somebody, maybe they would have caught me by now. If it were even you who did that, they would have arrested you by now. What I am saying is that we don’t have security for some people, but we have it for others.

Based on the way you are sounding now, how hopeful are you that your son will come back to you hale and hearty?

As I’m talking to you, after tears, there will definitely come happiness. It is said that there are tears in the night, but joy comes in the morning. Because of the God whom I worship and because that boy serves God diligently, even better than I do, the family is hopeful.

As a young man, he would trek from the church. The church is at Tam Junction. From where we live on St. John’s Road, he would trek all the way from the church back home. Even the church members confessed and confirmed it.

I think God can never disappoint that boy. God can never disappoint me. Let me tell you one thing. That year, my son fasted for three consecutive days. I don’t mean the kind of fast that somebody would break in the evening. That is how we operate. I fasted for seven days as a pastor. Why did I do that? It is because I want God to take good care of my family and me.

Do you suspect that a group of cultists may be responsible for your son’s disappearance?

Where I think the whole incident may have originated is from that particular group. Yes, because it was open. The church authority and the workers’ council discussed the issue. They handled it. I don’t know how they resolved it. But till today, I haven’t been called to discuss it and come to a resolution.

Do you attend the same church as your son?

I’m heading a church far away from Uyo, while my son is at the headquarters here in Uyo. We are from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. So, I was sent to pastor a church elsewhere, and that’s why my son is here in the headquarters branch.

How many children do you have?

I have three children.

Is he the eldest or the last-born?

He is the second son.

How old are you?

I’m 63 years old.

How has the mother been coping with the unfortunate incident?

You don’t need to be in this house to know what she’s going through. She’s completely devastated and crying. Even this morning, she was lamenting and crying. Once that happens, I become more heartbroken. So, it has been a continuous cycle of crying, lamenting, weeping, and asking God questions.

Have the police given you the kind of response you want?

I read the Bible, 2 Chronicles Chapter 20. You read the whole chapter, which talks about Jehoshaphat and the enemies of Israel. God told him that not even the military might of the Israelites, not their strength, not their weapons, and not their intelligence would solve their problems against their enemies.

That He (God) is the one involved in that matter. So after faith, there must be work. Do you understand? That work is consulting the police, spending money that I don’t even have, and consulting one person after another. I will still continue with the work after faith. So, I would still love them to carry out the whole operation. (Sunday PUNCH, excluding headline)

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