FOUR CATHOLIC PRIESTS KIDNAPPED BY SUSPECTED HERDSMEN

Armed men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have reportedly kidnapped four Catholic priests who were travelling to Ekpoma, Edo State through the Abraka/Umutu/Benin road in the Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State.
It was gathered that the priests were travelling to Ekpoma to attend an alumni meeting of the Seminary of All Saints at Uhiele on Tuesday when they were waylaid by gunmen numbering eight and reportedly whisked them to an unknown destination.
One of the kidnapped victims is Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obadjere, the parish priest of St. William’s Catholic Church, Orerokpe. He is of the Warri Diocese.
The other victims are: Rev. Fr. VICTOR ADIGBOLUJA (Ijebu Ode Diocese), Rev. Fr. ANTHONY OTEGBOLA (Abeokuta Diocese), Rev. Fr. JOSEPH EDIAE (Benin Archdiocese).
About six other priests were said to have survived the attack as they were already ahead of the convoy that was waylaid by the hoodlums.
A source said, “The incident happened around the railway immediately after Abraka along the road to Benin. Two armed men were first to come out some distance ahead of the priests’ vehicles from a nearby bush and started shooting at them. Two other gunmen dressed and look like a Fulani herdsmen came out fully armed. They were able to stop four of the vehicles and kidnapped four of the priests.”
” The priests were returning from annual class meeting that was scheduled in Warri between Monday 5th to Tuesday 6th November,2018, to mark their 10th Year Priestly Anniversary. Thereafter, move over to the SEMINARY OF ALL SAINTS, UHIELE- EKPOMA, their Alma Mater, to celebrate with the Seminary Community as part of the Alumni event for this year”, the source added.
The source also said that; “However, after the successful meeting in Warri on Tuesday Evening, on route to EKPOMA, these fierce looking and armed men came out of the bush and started firing at the priests. While some managed to escape from their evil clutches with their damaged cars, four of them were kidnapped”.
It was further gathered that other priests who were also travelling with them had to alert the security agencies who immediately mobilized to the situation and arrested one herdsman who was said to be in police custody.
Sources within the Warri Diocese told our correspondent that the abductors had contacted the leadership of the church for a ransom.
The sources, however, declined to give details of the ransom.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammad Mustafa, confirmed the abduction of the priests when contacted on Wednesday.
Mustafa told our Correspondent that he cannot confirm if the hoodlums are Fulani herdsmen but said, “Gunmen kidnapped four priests.”
According to him, “We don’t know if they are herdsmen but I can confirm that four Catholic fathers were kidnapped by hoodlums. The incident happened around Umutu closed to the boundary between Delta and Edo States. They abandoned the vehicles of the victims at Edo area. The priests were in a convoy of four vehicles when they were kidnapped.”
The police chief added that the police commands of Delta and Edo States had formed a joint rescue team to free the victims.
“We are battling to rescue them from their captors jointly with Edo State Police Command. We are working hard to rescue them”, the Mustafa stated.
The Social Director of the Catholic Diocese of Warri, Very Fr. Benedict Okutegbe, could not been reached for comment.