Gunmen Abduct Catholic Priest and Seminarian in Edo State
Gunmen have kidnapped Philip Ekeli, a Catholic priest, and Peter Andrew, a seminarian, from St. Peter Catholic Church in Iviukwa, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The attack, which took place late Sunday night around 11:30 p.m., was confirmed by police sources on Tuesday, according to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region.
According to reports, authorities were alerted when Mr. Inaede Gabriel, chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), made a distress call, informing them that the church was under siege. Security forces, including members of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), were immediately mobilized to the scene, where they verified the abduction of the priest and seminarian.
The assailants reportedly forced their captives into the surrounding bush, disappearing before security operatives could intervene. However, during the confrontation, local vigilantes engaged the attackers, successfully neutralizing one of them. The body of the slain assailant was later deposited at the General Hospital Mortuary in Agenebode.
Authorities also recovered several items from the scene, including a button phone with two Airtel SIM cards, a power bank, a dagger jacket, a bag containing biscuits and sachets of Nescafé tea, two pairs of rubber shoes, and a cash sum of N168,850.
