The
parish priest of St. Michael Catholic Church, Obajana, Kogi State, Leo Michael,
a reverend father, has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.
The
Diocesan Chancellor, Lokoja Catholic Diocese, Peter Adinoyi, a reverend father,
confirmed the kidnap to newsmen in Lokoja, the state capital on Thursday.
He said
the priest was returning to Obajana from Okene when he was kidnapped on a spot
at Irepeni village, Okene -Lokoja road.
According
to him, the matter has been promptly reported at the Irepeni Police State.
He
added that the army and the Directorate of the State Security (DSS), were also
aware of the development.
However,
Mr Adinoyi said the kidnappers on July 25 called some members of the church to
demand a N50 million ransom for the release of their priest.
He said
the kidnappers later reduced the ransom to N20 million and further reduced it
to eight million.
Mr Adinoyi
said the kidnappers gave the church up till 1:p.m. of July 26 to pay the ransom
and threatened to relocate the priest should the church fail to meet the
deadline.
He said
the church was unable to meet the deadline for the payment of the ransom demanded,
calling on the security agents to assist in rescuing the cleric from his
abductors.
Mr
Adinoyi also decried the incessant kidnapping of the less privileged in the
state, describing the situation as unfortunate.
The
spokesperson of the state police command, William Aya, a deputy superintendent
of police, said he was not aware of the incident and promised to find out and
call back.
However,
he failed to call back as at the time of this report.
Culled from: Premium Times
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