AFRICA/NIGERIA - A priest kidnapped along with six other people

Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic priest Marcellinus Obioma Okide was kidnapped in Udi (Enugu State), in the southeast of Nigeria. The kidnapping occurred last Sunday, September 17, at 5pm along Eke-Affa-Egede Road in Udi State Local Government Area. Along with the priest, six other people were kidnapped while traveling along the road and were attacked by the criminal gang. The priest who works at St. Mary Parish in Amofia-Agu Affar, was on his way back to his parish when he was kidnapped. In a statement, the Diocese of Enugu asked the Catholic faithful to pray for the kidnapped priest and his safe and speedy release, as well as for a conversion of the hearts of the kidnappers. A statement signed by the diocesan chancellor and secretary, Father Wilfred Chidi Agubuchie, said "it is disheartening that these crimes still plague our population". Also on Sunday, September 17, gunmen abducted 11 passengers, including several employees of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), who were traveling in a Benue Links vehicle on the Olanyega-Ogbodo road in the Okpokwu Local Government Area of the country Benue State on the way from Onitsha (Anambra State) to Makurdi. This confirms that the scourge of kidnapping, particularly along major highways, still affects large areas of Nigeria. The southeast of the country is particularly affected, where the number of kidnappings for ransom has increased. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 19/9/2023)

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