By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
The Edo State Police command, has revealed that men of its operatives killed a suspect involved in the kidnap of a Catholic Priest and a seminarian, while four other suspects were arrested.
The command added that despite the rescue operation, the kidnappers succeeded in taking away the victims – a Catholic Priest and a seminarian.
It was reported that Rev. Father Philip Ekeli and a seminarian, Peter Andrew of the St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Ivukwa, Etsako East Local Government Area of the state were kidnapped on Monday night around 11:30pm.
Confirming the incident, the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, said police initiated a rescue operation with the vigilante in the area immediately after receiving distress call by rushing to the scene and in the process gun down a suspect whose body had been deposited at the General Hospital, Agenebode, while four persons were arrested in the process.
The statement gave the names of the arrested suspects as Murtala Ibrahim, 32yrs, Joshua Joseph, 31yrs, Sadiq Sheidu 35yrs, and Sunday Bulus 28yrs.
The police statement reads: “Two (2) pairs of rubber shoes, one button Tecno phone with 2 sim cards, One (1) power bank, one dagger jacket, a bag containing biscuits and Nescafè beverage, the sum of one hundred and sixty-eight Thousand, eight hundred and fifty naira (168,850) were recovered in his possession.”
He said the Commissioner of Police, Betty Otimeyin has detailed additional teams of the anti-kidnapping unit to join forces with the Police Mobile Force personnel alongside their military counterparts in that area, to ensure the unconditional release of the victims and apprehend their abductors.
However, a resident of the community said a parishioner whose identity is not yet known was abducted with the priests and that the incident has thrown the community into distress.
