- Two kidnapped Catholic priests freed in Delta
Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City and Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
The Edo State Police Command yesterday rescued two out of the 12 kidnapped victims in Edo state. The 12 kidnapped victims were reportedly abducted by gunmen on Tuesday.
This is just as the two Catholic priests who were abducted by an armed gang at Agbarha-Otor in Delta State have regained their freedom.
The Edo victims, it was learnt were forcefully taken away along close to Ihevbe community, along the Afuze-Auchi road in Owan East Local Government Area of the state.
The victims were said to be traveling to Auchi when the gunmen emerged from the bush, forced their vehicle to a halt and whisked them into the bush.
The state command’s spokesperson, Chidi Nwanbuzor, who confirmed the incident, said two of the kidnapped victims had been rescued by the police from the kidnappers’ den.
“The police command is aware of the kidnapping. Two of the victims have been rescued by the police, but we can’t ascertain the number of the persons kidnapped because there is nobody to give account of the number. The rescued victims are receiving treatment at the hospital,” he said.
Nwanbuzor said the police were still combing the bush to rescued other kidnapped victims and arrest the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, the two Catholic priests who were abducted by an armed gang at Agbarha-Otor in Delta State have regained their freedom.
The priests, Rev. Fr Raphael Ogigbah, who is the parish priest of St. Francis Catholic Parish, Agbarha-Otor, Catholic Diocese of Warri, and Rev. Fr Kunav Chochos, a Missionary Priest of the Schoenstartt Fathers from Ibadan, Oyo State, were abducted last Saturday night.
THISDAY learnt that that the priests were released from the criminals’ den at about noon on Thursday though details of the conditions for their freedom were unknown.
It could not, however, be ascertained if and what ransom was paid to secure the priests’ release from the abductors, though THISDAY gathered from authoritative sources that the kidnappers demanded for N20 million naira for the release of the two priests.
Although, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Bright Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) told THISDAY in Asaba over the phone at 6.05pm yesterday that “the two priests have not been released yet”, THISDAY learnt that the two priests had been taken to a hospital for medical check-up at the time of filing this report.
“I’m sure the two reverend fathers have been released today. As a matter of fact, it was His Lordship, the Bishop (Most Rev (Dr) Anthony Ewherido of Warri Diocese) who personally drove them to the hospital after the kidnappers freed the Fathers today.”
