Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - A Nigerian priest, Fr. Cyriacus Onunkwo, was kidnapped and killed in the state of Imo, southern Nigeria.
According to the police, in the late afternoon of 1 September Fr. Onunkwo’s car was blocked near Banana Junction, Amaifeke, by some armed men who kidnapped him. The priest, who carried out his pastoral ministry in Orlu, was going to his native village, Osina, to attend his father’s funeral, who had died on August 28.
The priest's body was found on September 2 near the village of Omuma. The police said there were no wounds on the priest’s body and it is believed that Fr. Onunkwo was strangled.
"We are working on all the clues gathered. For now, it is a clear case of kidnapping and murder. If it was a simple kidnapping, the kidnappers would have called the family members of the victim and would have asked for a ransom", the police say. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 4/9/2017)
