Gunmen Storm Edo Church, Abduct Catholic Priest, Seminarian As Police Hunt Kidnappers

Gunmen have kidnapped a Catholic priest, Rev. Father Philip Ekeli, and a seminarian, Peter Andrew, from St. Peter Catholic Church in Iviukwa Community, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.

Police sources confirmed the abduction on Tuesday, revealing that the attack occurred late Sunday night around 11:30 p.m. 

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“Officers, including the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), responded swiftly but arrived to find that the priest and seminarian had already been taken into the bush to an unknown location,” a police source disclosed.

According to reports, local vigilantes engaged the gunmen in a fierce confrontation, managing to kill one of the assailants. His body was later deposited at the General Hospital Mortuary in Agenebode.

Authorities recovered several items from the scene, including a button phone with two Airtel SIM cards, a power bank, a jacket, a bag containing biscuits and sachets of Nescafé tea, two pairs of rubber shoes, and ₦168,850 in cash.

In response to the abduction, a joint search-and-rescue operation has been launched, comprising soldiers from the Nigerian Army’s 195 Battalion, police officers, vigilantes, and local hunters. 

Security forces are combing the surrounding forests in a bid to track down the kidnappers and rescue the victims.

The incident adds to the growing concerns over rising insecurity in Edo State, with residents calling for stronger measures to combat the wave of kidnappings and violence in the region.