₦airaland Forum

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.

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.channelstv.com/2025/03/04/gunmen-abduct-catholic-priest-seminarian-in-edo/amp/

Why Kidnapping Rev Father, Udoka is shocked

Another Source - https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2025/03/catholic-church-in-edo-rues-incessant-kidnap-of-priests/amp/

Surge in kidnapping in Nigeria.

They are Muslim terrorists and not gunmen.

Tinubu don finish dis kontri. Kidnappers are now rampant because of his useless economic policies

Truly, things have fallen apart.

The center can no longer hold 💔
End times

Kidnap kidnap kidnap all through the beginning og of the month just 4 days ohhh

Women protested in Enugu state and it was horrible seeing Nigerians from other regions who are equally suffering from same fate,it was horrible seeing them making mockery of them!!!

You people ain't ready for anything in that your naija...

No fear or regard again. Na wa o...

Kidnappers are having a field day all across the country...!

What Investor in his right senses will bring his money and equipment into a nation that is a haven for criminals and terrorists?!!

Nigeria is gone


Tinubu is a calamity and a certified failure

we never had it this bad

Angelfrost:
Kidnappers are having a field day all across the country...!

What Investor in his right senses will bring his money and equipment into a nation that is a haven for criminals and terrorists?!!

Tinubu Nigerian police and DSS are only interested in collecting bribes and chasing after political opponents

Hmmm the way this kidnap news dey come up on per second bases, make I no lie una, my spirit dey Canada na just say my body still gets some challenges to tackle before him align with my spirit.

This country no safe I wish say na my spirit dey here while my body dey abroad. They no fit kidnap spirit.

Is like Kidnapping is the new Yahoo. The rate at which people get kidnapped, being indoors will be the safest bet

When they are kidnapped I don't pity them anymore.

Very heartless and depraved people those so called unReverend father

zombieHUNTER:
Tinubu Nigerian police and DSS are only interested in collecting bribes and chasing after political opponents

It's just a mess... A national embarrassment.

The headline is misleading

Why doesn’t the headline state police rescue or the killing of the kidnappers?

Create state police for goodness sake!

BlackfireX:
When they are kidnapped I don't pity them anymore.

Very heartless and depraved people those so called unReverend father

You'll be kidnapped and someone will celebrate it. Even your words here reveals that you are heartlessness itself. Devil's always see devils in everyone.

So, you have sampled all Reverend Fathers and they are all heartless? A Reverend Father who never knew me from Adam spent over ₦700,000 to help me just because he saw me suffering. What edified me the most about him is that, after doing that, he kept respecting me to the high heavens as if I'm the one who uplifted him and his entire town.

I have also "caught" him doing similar things to others. The other day, I was walking and he was driving by. He stopped to greet me. Then, I noticed he was carrying a sick old woman at the back of his car. He was taking her to the hospital.

I have "caught" him not having food in his house but he was sharing food to hungry people. These are some of the reasons I am angry with you for this overgeneralization.

Priests are humans. Just because a priest manifested his humanity is not a reason to crucify all priests. Then, you start planning to kidnap one of them with this evil mindset of yours. They're not the politicians stealing your destiny everyday.

If it happened anywhere in the east, the will tag it on ipob

UDOKABESTLUV:
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.channelstv.com/2025/03/04/gunmen-abduct-catholic-priest-seminarian-in-edo/amp/

We listen and we judge oooh...

Stop this kidnapping...


Nigeria is not known for all this cruel brutality

kidnapping with ransom is criminals taxing the citizens with impunity as the protectors of the kidnappers (the government) stands aside in silent complicity

eyah

with the hunger in the land, people are now resorting to crimes in order to afford something to eat. While this is a challenge, propaganda machinery are in place and often on Nairaland front page to sing regime worship to distract the masses from travails their neigbors are going through, anyone who speaks against this is called a "wailer", by low iQ supporters who do not even know the meaning of "wailing" but would use the term(wail) just because someone used it. It is pertinent for all sane minded people to stand in unity and kick APC and all their agents out of power.

COMRADES, if I may ask, why the kidnapping in Nigeria is prevalent only on the Christian's clerics?

Wahala everywhere

It's not the South East. Let's focus on the South East. Next thread please.

After the gun duel in which one of the shooters was killed and four arrested, you recovered biscuit, Nescafé and rubber shoes plus SIM cards!