Benue Catholic Priest Kidnapped

Rev. Fr. Anthony Adikwu, Catholic priest of Otukpo Diocese has been kidnapped

Father Adikwu is the parish priest of St. Margaret’s Parish, Ajegbe Awume, in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.

A witness, who simply identified himself as Oche, revealed that some gunmen stormed the Awume community around 10 p.m. and went straight to the church premises and abducted the priest away.

He said, “Yesterday (Thursday) night at 10 p.m., some gunmen stormed Ajegbe Awume, Ohimini Benue State, the kidnappers went straight to the church premises and kidnapped the Rev. Father in Charge of St. Margaret Parish.”

The Benue State Public spokesperson, SP Catherine Anene, said, “The information got to us this morning (Friday), and we are working on it.”

A policeman and two civilians who were returning from a burial were kidnapped on Tuesday around Ahume along Makurdi/Naka Road.

The Chairman of Gwer West Local Government, Andrew Ayande, said the kidnappers demanded N1.7 million from the family of the kidnap victims.

Ayande said the policeman and one other victim later escaped from the kidnappers’ den, adding that the female victim was rescued on Friday morning by security operatives.

“Security operatives were able to rescue the female kidnap victim this (Friday) morning while the other victims—the policeman and the man—escaped from the kidnappers’ den,” Ayande said.

The chairman, however, said the female victim paid N400,000 as ransom.