Suspected Herdsmen Kidnap Catholic Priest In Imo

The security situation in Imo State has continued to deteriorate as a Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Marcel Izu Onyeocha, has been kidnapped along the Okigwe axis of the state. 

Confirming the development, the state’s police spokesman, Orlando Ikeokwu, said the incident happened on Saturday but was reported to the police on Sunday.  

Ikeokwu said, “On the 11/04/21, one Bissong Isa Atugu reported that on 10/04/21, at about 7:45pm, while driving from Enugu to Owerri with a Nissan  Xterra SUV, in company of Rev. Fr. Marcel Izu Onyeocha of Mother theresa of Golgotha Catholic Church, World Bank Owerri, the vehicle  developed fault around Ihube in Okigwe council area and as they stepped down to check the vehicle, a group  of  people believed to  be Fulani herdsmen emerged from the bush and inflicted matchet cut injuries on him, while the priest was  kidnapped and taken to unknown destination.”

Meanwhile, in a bid to address worsening insecurity in the South-East, governors from the region have reached a decision to form a regional security network known as “Ebube Agu”. 

The governors had met on Sunday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, where they reached the decision. 

The South-East governors are taking a cue from their South West counterparts who had launched the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed “Operation Amotekun” in all the six states of the region to curb insecurity.