Gunmen kidnap Catholic Priest, 6 others in Enugu

BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Gunmen have reportedly abducted a Catholic Priest, Rev. Father M. Okide of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu and six other travellers in Enugu.

Reports had it that the incident happened on Sunday between 4.30 pm and 5pm along Eke-Affa-Egede Road in Udi Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that the kidnappers have already made telephone contacts with relatives of the victims, demanding N100 million as ransom before the Catholic Priest and other captives could be released.

Further checks showed that the abductors left the children of the victims inside their car crying helplessly before police operatives arrived the scene to evacuate them.

As at time of going to press, the police authority was yet to react to the incident but operatives of Udi Police Division were already combing the area with a view to securing the release of the Catholic Priest and other victims.

Daily News Nigeria also learnt that a day before the abduction incident, gunmen suspected to be kidnappers killed a man popularly known as Sunday Nwa Ugwuja, along Edem-Nrobo-Ezikolo-Abbi Road in Uzo Uwani Local government area.

Ugwuja was on his way to Nsukka when the incident happened and was confirmed dead at the Bishop Shanaham Hospital, Nsukka due to excessive loss of blood.

Also on same Friday, along the Enugu- Ugwuogo Nike-Nsukka Road, a gang of kidnappers were said to have successfully blocked the road and whisked away some persons including students into the bush.

As at Monday, one of the victims, Obiora Omeye, an undergraduate from Eha-Alumona community in Nsukka Local Government Area of the state and others are still being held captive by their captors.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.