After being taken captive by armed individuals on the Elele-Isiokpo Road in the Ikwere Local Government Area of Rivers State, Reverend Father Livinus Maurice and two companions have been liberated four days later.
Father Maurice, the Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Isokpo, was seized while returning from a hospital visit with the other two individuals, whose identities remain unknown.
The Catholic Diocese of Port Harcourt had urged for the unconditional release of the priest following the abduction.
The state police command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, verified the trio’s release in a statement, confirming that the priest and the others were set free due to the collaborative efforts of law enforcement, soldiers, and local vigilantes.
The freed individuals were reunited with their families for medical attention, while the authorities continue their pursuit of the perpetrators.
In a separate incident, an unidentified group abducted a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Jude Onyeka, in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Father Onyeka, previously serving at St. Edmund Catholic Church in Nkpor, was taken in the early hours along the Building Materials Section in Ugwunwasike Bypass, Ogidi.
The Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Rev. Fr. Prudentus Aroh, requested prayers for the safe return of the missing clergyman, as efforts are underway to secure his release.
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian M. Okeke, urged prayers for the swift and safe return of Father Jude, entrusting his release to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s intercession.
The Anambra State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, mentioned that he had not been briefed on the incident when reached for comment.