Ghana’s high commissioner to South Africa announced that a Ghanaian deacon who was abducted during a church service in Johannesburg on Sunday has been released.

When armed gangs stormed the Church of Pentecost and robbed the congregation at gunpoint of their valuables, the deacon, identified as Elder Emmanuel Cudjoe, was kidnapped.

On X, formerly Twitter, Charles Owiredu reported that a deacon, whom he did not name, was released on Tuesday night.

In his remarks, he did not elaborate on how the cleric was freed.

Several churches, mosques, and temples in South Africa have been robbed in recent months.

Worshippers in a country with one of the highest crime rates in the world will be protected by the government.