Three abducted Catholic seminarians freed, as gunmen kidnap priest in Umuhaia
By Rasaq Adebayo
The three Catholic seminarians kidnapped on Monday have been freed by their abductors.
Recall the three men were kidnapped during an attack on Monday at the Christ the King Major Seminary in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.
A statement from the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Emmanuel Okolo, said they were released on Wednesday, about 48 hours after their abduction.
The statement also urged Catholic churches to organise Thanksgiving masses for the successful release of the abducted people.
It, however, did not say whether any ransom was paid for their release.
Meanwhile, some gunmen on Wednesday abducted a Catholic priest in Umuahia, Abia State.
It was also gathered that an unidentified woman was also abducted the same day in Umuahia.
The abducted was identified as Godfrey Chimezie, serving at St. Theresa Parish, Umuahia.
Rev. Father Chimezie was said to have been abducted along the road, near the church, while the woman was abducted at a petrol station.
He was returning to his parish after attending morning Mass at St. Gabriel Catholic Church, Okpururie Afaraukwu, when his abductors swooped on him, witnesses said.
“The kidnappers forced him out of his Toyota Corolla car and bundled him into their SUV and escaped,” a resident said.
A senior priest in the Umuahia Catholic Diocese, who confirmed the abduction of Mr Chimezie, described him as a young priest who was ordained early in the year.
The police spokesperson in Abia State, Godfrey Ogbonna, said the command was yet to get a formal report on the incident from the Catholic Church.
Ogbonna, a superintendent of police, confirmed the abduction of the woman.
The woman, he said, was double-crossed as she was driving out of the filling station.
He said it was not clear yet if the two incidents were carried out by the same gang.
Ogbonna, who said the police were investigating the woman’s abduction, advised the Catholic authorities to make a formal report at any police station around the scene of the incident, on the abduction of the priest.
“This is to enable the command to commence investigation with a view to rescuing the victim,” he said.
The two incidents created panic among residents who expressed fear that such crime could degenerate in the city if not tackled immediately.
A resident, Kingsley Onyemuche, said, “We have never recorded such dastardly acts in one day in Umuahia.
“This place has been quiet and devoid of violent crime for some time now, but these two cases in one day have put so much fear in every resident. The Abia State Government and security agencies in the state should take urgent steps to tackle this ugly situation.”
