Reverend Father Marcellinus Okide, a Catholic priest, and six other motorists were kidnapped by gunmen believed to be Fulani herders in separate incidents across Enugu State.
They were taken just 24 hours after six people were abducted and a middle-aged man was slain in Enugu State on Saturday.
Fr. Okide, a parish priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church Amofia-Agu Affa in Enugu State’s Udi local government area, was abducted on Sunday evening at 5:00 pm while traveling back to his parish along Eke-Affa-Egede Road.
In a statement, the Diocesan Communication Director, Rev. Fr. Anthony Aneke, who also confirmed the man’s kidnapping, bemoaned the rise in insecurity across the state, the South East, and the entire nation. He made an appeal to the government and security agencies to uphold their duties and always ensure the safety of Nigerians.
Fr. Okide was abducted in Nigeria on the Eke-Egede-Affa Road at around 5:00 p.m., according to Fr. Aneke.
A Catholic priest named Rev. Fr. Marcellinus Obioma Okide was kidnapped on September 17, 2023, at around 5:00 p.m. while traveling along the Eke-Egede-Affa Road in Nigeria, according to a portion of the statement. The terrible occurrence happened as Fr. Okide, a priest of St. Mary Amofia-Agu Affa Parish, was traveling to his parish.The diocese has fervently requested prayers from the faithful and the general public in the hopes that Fr. Okide may be released quickly and safely.
They are also requesting a change of heart on the part of the abductors. This upsetting incident emphasizes the region’s continuous kidnapping problem.
The Diocesan Chancellor and Secretary, Rev. Fr. Wilfred Chidi Agubuchie, made the appeal, pleading with the Lord to intervene to rescue Fr. Okide from his captors and protect the nation of Nigeria. The tragedy serves as an alarming reminder of the nation’s security problems and the requirement for coordinated efforts to overcome them.
Separately, kidnappers who laid on to the road for several hours without resistance killed a middle-aged man named Sunday Nwa Ugwuja and critically injured several others on Saturday night along Edem-Nrobo-Ezikolo-Abbi Road in Uzo-Uwani Council.