Gunmen have abducted a Catholic priest in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria.
The victim, Jude Onyeka, was abducted on Thursday along Building Material-Ugwunwasike Bypass in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.
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The Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Prudentus Aroh, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
“With sadness, we write to inform you of the kidnap of one of us, Rev. Fr. Jude Onyeka, the Parish Priest of St. Dominic Catholic Church, Abatete,” Mr Aroh, also a Catholic priest, said in the statement.
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The chancellor said, as of Friday, the abductors had not established contact with anyone.
He said the Catholic Bishop in charge of the archdiocese, Valerian Okeke, has asked the Christian faithful “to earnestly pray” for the quick and safe release of the abducted priest.
Mr Aroh said efforts were being made to secure the release of the cleric.
“We commend our brother, Fr. Jude, to the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, for his speedy release from the hands of his abductors,” he said.
Another abduction
Apart from the Catholic priest, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that some gunmen also abducted a yet-to-be-identified man in Nnewi.
Witnesses told this newspaper that the victim was double-crossed and whisked away while driving in his Mercedes Benz SUV along the road.
The hoodlums attacked the victim on Saturday night at EdyBros Junction in Uruagu, a community in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday evening, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, said he was unaware of the attacks.
READ ALSO:Gunmen abduct Ohanaeze leader in South-east
Like other states in the South-east, cases of abduction-for-ransom in Anambra State have increased in recent times.
Civil servants, business owners, politicians and even students have become easy targets.
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