Gunmen have abducted a Catholic priest in-charge of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Eku in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Rev. Fr. Joseph Oghenekevwe Ojakorotu.
Ojakorotu was said to have been whisked away by the daredevil gunmen along the Sapele-Eku Road in Sapele Local Government Area while returning from a journey on Friday.
It was gathered that the abductors contacted some of his worshippers and demanded N10m ransom.
A member of the church told Punch that the priest was accosted at a bad portion of the road by his assailants who dragged him out of the car.
The spokesman for the police in the state, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed the incident, adding that the command was making efforts to rescue the cleric.
Aniamaka said, “I can assure you that we shall not let criminals succeed in the state. We have dispatched security operatives to the area to ensure that the priest is rescued unhurt. We shall surely arrest the perpetrators to face the law. Crime does not thrive in Delta.”
He also urged family members of the abducted priest not to pay ransom to the hoodlums, assuring that the cleric would regain his freedom in no distant time.
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