Gunmen have kidnapped a Catholic priest, Philip Ekeli and a seminarian, Peter Andrew, from St. Peter Catholic Church in Iviukwa, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Sources said the incident occurred on Sunday, the police authorities confirmed the abduction on Tuesday.
It was gathered that the Edo State Police Command mobilised operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to secure the release of the victims.
The attackers were said to have whisked the priest and seminarian into the nearby bush.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Command’s spokesman, Moses Yamu, said one of the suspected kidnappers was killed.
Yamu, a Chief Superintendent of Police, stated that four of the gunmen were arrested by security operatives.
He identified the suspects as Murtala Ibrahim, Joshua Joseph, Sadiq Sheidu and Sunday Bulus.
“On 03/03/2025 at about 2330hrs, the Command received a distress call from a concerned citizen that armed men suspected to be herdsmen stormed St. Peter Catholic Church in Ivukwa community, Etsako East LGA, abducting Rev. Father Philip Ekeli and Seminarian Peter Andrew.
“The Police initiated a rescue operation involving the ” Operation Rescue ” teams, vigilantes, and hunters and swiftly rushed to the scene and engaged the attackers in a gun duel. One of the suspects whose name is unknown was neutralised, and the corpse deposited at the General Hospital Agenebode,” the statement read.
Items recovered from them were two pairs of rubber shoes, one button Tecno phone with two sim cards, one power bank, one dagger jacket, a bag containing biscuits and Nescafè beverage and N168,850.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Betty Enekpen Isokpan Otimenyin, has immediately detailed additional teams of the anti-kidnapping unit to join forces with Police Mobile Force personnel alongside their military counterparts in that area, to ensure the unconditional release of the victims and apprehend their abductors,” the Command’s spokesman stated.
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