BREAKING! Four Abducted Catholic Priests Regain Freedom

The four Catholic priests seized by gunmen near Abraka, Delta State on Tuesday have regained their freedom, BigPen Online can report.

The priests, after their release were taken to Benin Friday night for treatment but the exact location where they were rescued couldn’t be ascertained before this report was filled for publication.

Source disclosed that immediately they were rescued a joint police and military team escorted them to Benin where they are to under go treatment.

The rescued priests are: Rev.Frs. Victor Adigboluja of the Ijebu Ode diocese; Anthony Otegbola, Abeokuta Diocese; Joseph Ediae, Benin Archdiocese; and Emmanuel Obadjere, Warri Diocese.

BigPen Online gathered that before their release, their captors had placed a ransom of N20 million on them.

The Warri Diocese of the Catholic Church from where they had an annual class meeting that was held in Warri between Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th, November 2018, to mark their 10th Year Priestly Anniversary, reportedly parted with N10million to secure their release.

A reliable source in the church claimed that N10 million ransom was paid to the abductors before they were eventually drop off in an unknown location where security agents came for them.

The hoodlums had earlier demanded for N20 million but later went for N15 million and finally N10 million. They reportedly warned the church’s contacts against the involvement of security agencies in the deal if not, the victims would be killed, multiple source told BigPen Online.

The priest were on their way to the Major Seminary Of All Saints, Uhiele- Ekpoma, their alma mater, to celebrate with the Seminary community as part of the alumni event for this year when they were abducted.

They were seized around Abraka near Benin in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State after the bandits overtook their vehicle in an entourage and seized four of them while the rest managed to escape the scene with their cars damaged.

Meanwhile, Delta State Police Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammad Mustafa, who confirmed the development, said the abducted priests were rescued by police operatives late Friday evening.

Mustafa also confirmed the arrest of some suspects from both states in the kidnap of the victims.